CRTG bags civil contract worth 276 million kronor from Stockholm Metro

Stockholm (Urban Transport News): Chinese firm China Railway Tunnel Group Co. Limited (CRTG) has won a procurement contract to take part in preparatory work to construct new lines of Stockholm Metro. It is the biggest investment in the public transport sector by Region Stockholm (Stockholm County Council) in more than four decades. China Railway Tunnel Group (CRTG) emerged as the lowest bidder among others. The firm has quoted 276 million kronor (equivalent to $28 million) for the construction of three tunnels. However, Region Stockholm officials are very scared of the price quoted by the company. Patrick Marelius, CEO of runner-up Subterra Sverige said that the amount quoted by the CRTG was far below cost price. It would not be possible to carry out the construction work for that money. He also criticized that a Chinese state-owned firm should compete in the Swedish tunnel market. But the officials from Region Stockholm said that they had no concerns about it, nor about a Chinese company poses a security risk. "We haven't evaluated that. We have evaluated based on qualification requirements and price and we have evaluated all entrepreneurs in an equal way," an official said. The scope of work includes the construction of 20 km long underground tunnels along with 11 new metro stations. In addition to this, a new line (yellow) will be built which will connect to the blue, red and green lines. It is expected that the project will be completed in eight years. China Railway Tunnel Group is the largest engineering enterprise specialized in tunneling and underground works of China and the backbone member of China Railway Group Limited. It has been said that it is the biggest investment in public transport since 1970. Region Stockholm has planned to procure more than 30 major contracts over the next few years. The Stockholm Metro is a mass rapid transit system in Stockholm, Sweden, which is serving the Swedish people since 1950. Presently, the Stockholm Metro system has 100 stations in operation, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground.