Qatar to sign new contracts for rail network
Tenders for operations and maintenance of Doha Metro and Lusail Tram to be issued this year
Qatar Rail has begun preparations to sign a set of new contracts for its rail network, which will comprise Doha Metro, Lusail Tram and a long-distance train, local media reported.
The first phase of the Doha Metro project is expected to be complete in the fourth quarter of 2019, while completion of the Lusail Tram is set for 2020.
Current contracts with consultants will end in July this year, and new contracts will be signed for the four years to June 2020, Qatari daily Al Sharq reported.
Qatar Rail will meet with companies interested in bidding for the new contracts on January 5 to explain the terms and conditions of the tenders and answer questions, it was reported. The meeting will also discuss the scope of the services, project management, supervision of construction work, and management of commercial affairs for eight contracts for the design and construction of phase one of the Doha Metro, which is currently underway.
Qatar Rail is expected to issue tenders for facilities management and operation and maintenance of Doha Metro and Lusail Tram in the first half of this year. It is expected to issue tenders for Doha Metro facilities management and Lusail Tram in the first quarter.
By 2030, all the three networks – Doha Metro, Lusail Tram and the long-distance rail, which will link Qatar with the GCC Rail network – are expected to be complete. With the completion of the first phase of the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram, Qatar Rail expects to offer 600,000 passenger trips per day by 2021. By then, 37 metro stations are expected to be complete, with an average journey time of three minutes between adjacent stations.
