EXCLUSIVE: Abu Dhabi moves on stalled rail project

28 November, 2017 | By JENNIFER AGUINALDO

Abu Dhabi has re-engaged with stakeholders for the design and route alignment for the upcoming phases of Etihad Rail, the UAE’s federal railway network.

This includes the rail project’s second stage, for which procurement was suspended in early 2016.

“We were told Stage 2 is no longer on hold,” a source who was present at a high-level meeting held last week tells MEED.

During the meeting, senior officials at the Abu Dhabi-based Federal Transport Authority and Fujairah Municipality primarily discussed the need for minor revisions to the current route alignment for Stage 3, which will link the railway to Fujairah as well as Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah.

MEED earlier reported that the client, Etihad Rail, met with stakeholders in late 2016.

However, neither the FTA nor Etihad Rail has officially confirmed reviving the procurement process for Stage 2 so far.

MEED understands securing funding remains a key issue for the succeeding phases of the scheme.

Etihad Rail suspended the procurement for Stage 2 of the 1,200-kilometre national railway in January 2016, following a 30 per cent employee reduction.

The main package for the 628km Stage 2 has been tendered twice. Two groups were believed to have been shortlisted in the first tender. They include:

Salini Impregilo (Italy) / Samsung C&T (South Korea) / Tristar (local)
China Railway Construction Company (China ) / Ghantoot Group (local)

Based on the original design, Stage 2 will connect the railway to Mussafah, to the ports in Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali, and to the Saudi and Omani borders.

Etihad Rail has been operational since late 2015.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is the offtaker for the railway’s first stage, which is used mainly to transport granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to the Mirfa depot in Ruwais, from where it is being exported.

Coronavirus is unique challenge for GCC construction

GCC construction companies house thousands of workers in shared camp facilities Construction companies in the GCC with large numbers of workers living in labour camps are confronted with a unique challenge ...

Short-term outlook for GCC projects market deteriorates

Heading into the final quarter of 2018, it seems that the regional market has yet to recover from the damage caused by low oil prices As we enter the final quarter ...

Signs of trouble ahead for Dubai’s construction market

Key indicators point to a potential crash looming in Dubai’s projects sector, with significant consequences for the regional market Architects are not prone to fretting, so when one recently described his ...

Coronavirus executive briefing (24 June)

Understand the Covid-19 outbreak, its impact on the global and regional economy, and initial implications for specific sectors Click here to download the full document

EXCLUSIVE: Prequalification starts for multibillion-dollar airport deal

Dubai’s Al-Maktoum International airport works cover the substructure for the West Terminal Building and Concourse 1 Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) has invited companies to express interest in the estimated AED10bn ($2.7bn) ...

Business continuity measures support long-term recovery

The approach to crisis management and greater flexibility to deal with the pandemic can positively shape long-term business plans, says latest briefing from Mashreq Bank · The UAE economy strengthened significantly ...

Four-year Mena projects market dip continues

After four difficult years, the outlook remains bleak for anyone hoping for a strong pick up in new project opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa With some $4.7tn of ...

GCC contracting sees signs of a shake-up

Nowadays, regional governments need to find investors to help fund their projects as well as contractors to build them Much has changed for the GCC’s construction sector over the past five ...

Gulf contractors face increasing competition

The region’s construction sector is in a period of transition and is repositioning itself to tackle new challenges in 2019 As the Dubai market shows signs of slowing down and Saudi ...

Abu Dhabi to develop next Kizad phase imminently

Next phase of Kizad will cover 200 square kilometres of land area Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) will start developing the next phase, Area B, in 2019, its CEO Samir Chaturvedi ...