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Consortiums form for UAE high-speed rail

2 October 2025

 

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Contractors are forming joint ventures to bid for upcoming design-and-build work packages for the UAE’s high-speed railway (HSR) project.

The UAE’s Etihad Rail issued the tender for the contract on 10 January, with submissions due on 15 October.

MEED understands that the group formations for the civil works packages are as follows:

  • Limak / Dogus / Ozkar (Turkiye) – Dubai section
  • NPC / Trojan Tunneling / Kalyon / China State (UAE/UAE/Turkiye/China) – Dubai and Abu Dhabi section
  • WeBuild / Tristar (Italy/UAE) – Abu Dhabi section
  • L&T / China Harbour / Hilalco / Wade Adams (India/China/local/local) – Dubai and Abu Dhabi
  • China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (China) – Dubai and Abu Dhabi
  • China Railway Engineering Corporation (China) – Dubai section
  • China Railway Engineering Corporation / WBG (China/local) – Abu Dhabi

French engineering firm Systra is the designer for the Limak-led consortium.

US-based firm Jacobs is the designer for the NPC group.

A joint venture of Systra and US-based Aecom is the designer for the WeBuild group.

French engineering firm Egis and Malaysia’s Surbana Jurong are the designers for the L&T-led consortium.

Switzerland’s ARX is working with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation as its designer.

Chinese firm China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group is working with China Railway Engineering Corporation as its lead designer for both sections of the project.

Teams are also forming for the systems package. These are:

  • Siemens / Rowad / Salcef (Germany/Egypt/Italy)
  • Hitachi / Orascom (Japan/Egypt)
  • Alstom / L&T (France/India)
  • CRRC (China)
  • Hyundai Rotem / Posco (South Korea)
  • Talgo / Hassan Allam (Spain/Egypt)
  • CAF (Spain)

The design speed of the trains running on the UAE’s HSR network will be 350 kilometres an hour (km/h) and the operating speed will be 320km/h, as MEED reported last year.

The proposed HSR programme will be constructed in four phases, gradually adding further connectivity to other areas within the UAE.

The first phase involves the construction of a railway line connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which is expected to be operational by 2030.

The second phase will involve the development of an inner-city railway network with 10 stations within the city of Abu Dhabi.

The third phase of the railway network involves the construction of a connection between Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain.

The fourth phase involves the development of an inter-emirate connection between Dubai and Sharjah.

The 150km first phase of the HSR will stretch from the Al-Zahiyah area of Abu Dhabi to Al-Jaddaf in Dubai.

The project’s civil works have been split into two packages – Abu Dhabi and Dubai – comprising four sections. The scope of these sections includes:

  • Phase 1A: Al-Zahiyah to Yas Island (23.5km) 
  • Phase 1B: Yas Island to the border of Abu Dhabi/Dubai (64.2km)
  • Phase 1C: Abu Dhabi/Dubai border to Al-Jaddaf (52.1km)
  • Phase 1D: Abu Dhabi airport delta junction and connection with Abu Dhabi airport station (9.2km)

The rail line will have five stations: Al-Zahiyah (ADT), Saadiyat Island (ADS), Yas Island (YAS), Abu Dhabi airport (AUH) and Al-Jaddaf (DJD).

The ADT, AUH and DJD stations will be underground, while ADS will be elevated and YAS will be at grade.

The overall construction package also includes provisions for the rolling stock, railway systems and two maintenance depots.

The high-speed project will slash journey times between the UAE’s two largest cities and economic centres. The journey time between the YAS and DJD stations will be 30 minutes.

Preliminary site testing works have begun. Dubai-based Matcon Testing Laboratory and Abu Dhabi’s Engineering & Research International are conducting drilling tests to ascertain the ground conditions in areas through which the HSR will pass. 

Spanish engineering firms Sener and Ineco are the project’s engineering consultants.

READ THE OCTOBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

Private sector takes on expanded role; Riyadh shifts towards strategic expenditure; MEED’s 2025 power developer ranking

Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the October 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

> AGENDA 1: A new dawn for PPPs
To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
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Yasir Iqbal

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