Meed | Contractors start building Abu Dhabi light rail

Contractors start building Abu Dhabi light rail

5 October 2023

Contractors have started work on the first phase of Abu Dhabi’s long-awaited light rail transit (LRT) system.

The construction works are being carried out by the local National Infrastructure Construction Company (NICC) and National Projects & Construction (NPC).

Phase one includes constructing a tram link through Electra Street, Al-Maryah Island and Al-Reem Island. The line will be 8.4 kilometres long and consists of 15 stations and one depot. The contract to build the depot is being tendered.

The project is being implemented by Abu Dhabi Transport Company (ADTC), which was formed in March this year to implement, operate and develop transport systems in rural and urban areas across the emirate.

The company will develop rail systems and all other related services and operations and provide integrated transport services, including the rental of vehicles and buses.

Abu Dhabi invited firms earlier this year to express interest in a contract for completing consultancy work for the first phase of the planned LRT system.

The contract covers completing a design review for the first phase of the project, which may then become a supervision role later.

Previous plans

The network has been planned for over a decade. A Spanish group of Sener and Typsa signed the design contract for the proposed network in 2010.

At the time, the network was reported to comprise 340km of track connecting to a proposed metro network.

Contractors were then lining up to work on the first two sections of the LRT in 2013. The first LRT line ran from Abu Dhabi’s Marina Mall to Reem Island and was known as the Blue Line. It was 15km long and had 24 stations.

The second line connected Karama with Saadiyat Island and was known as the Green Line. It was 13km long and had 21 stations.

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Yasir Iqbal