Bahrain Shortlists Consultants for its Metro Project

Bahrain's Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications has shortlisted three bidders to advise on Phase One of the Bahrain Metro Project.

Out of the eight bids received the following companies have remained in the race: Zayani Engineering, KPMG and PriceWaterCoopers. Bids from Deloitte and Ernst & Young have been discarded, along with three others.

The tender was launched on 13 February 2019. The winning entity would be required to provide financial, technical and legal consultancy services to prepare documents for the tender of the design, construction and operation of Phase One. Advisory services would include support to the Ministry for the preparation of documents, tender, evaluation and appointment of the preferred bidder.

The tender follows completion of a project feasibility study.

The metro project is part of the Kingdom's Public Transport Masterplan 2030, which has recommended the development of 184 km of rail network comprising six lines.

The project is expected to be implemented in four phases; in Phase One two lines covering 29 km with 20 stations are currently planned:

1. The Red Line would connect Bahrain International Airport to Seef Mall through Airport Avenue and King Faisal Highway, the Avenues Mall, Bab Al Bahrain and Bahrain City Center Mall
2. The Blue Line would start from the Juffair to through Al Fateh Highway, Diplomatic area, Bab Al Bahrain, Al farooq Junction. Salmaniya, Zinj, Tubli, Salmabad and finally to the Educational Area in Isa Town

The two lines would interconnect at the Bab al Bahrain and al Farooq Junction stations.

In terms of capacity the system has been design to carry 43,000 passengers per hour, as the Ministry aims to provide a modern and sustainable alternative mode of transport to reduce the current traffic congestion.

The Bahrain Rail Congress 2019, that will take place on 2 and 3 October 2019 at the Hotel Sofitel Bahrain, will be about “Designing & Developing a Well Connected World Class National Rail Network in the Kingdom of Bahrain”.

The event aims to gather government representatives, ministries, industry experts, technology leaders, and global rail innovators. The congress will explore how to create successful collaborations between public and private sectors, and ways to fully leverage the modernization opportunities that will help boost infrastructure, transport, increase investment opportunities and to develop smart sustainable rail network. It will include a series of local and international keynote presentations, panel discussions, local and international case studies, interviews, demos, innovations and round table discussions.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is located in the Persian Gulf between the Qatar peninsula and the north eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. The current population is 1,646,000, based on the latest United Nations estimates. Its first metro project is expected to create at least 2,000 new jobs.

Passionate about effective Public Transport and keen on learning about new technologies, John C. Ottaviani collaborates with engineering and railway news magazines and has published a number of public transport related articles.