Abu Dhabi gives metro hopes a boost
22 March 2023
Commentary
Colin Foreman
Editor
The decision to form Abu Dhabi Transport Company in mid-March could be the precursor to the restart of the long-awaited Abu Dhabi Metro and Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.
The statement announcing the company said it had been mandated to develop rail systems and all other related services and operations, and provide integrated transport services, including the rental of vehicles and buses.
In 2012, Aecom and Parsons Brinckerhoff, both US-based, and Germany’s DB International won the study and preliminary design contract for the metro scheme, while a Spanish joint venture of Typsa and Sener won the LRT consultancy contract.
Those plans ground to a halt after industry briefings for contractors were held in 2013.
In 2018, there were hopes of a revival when Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport invited firms to bid for pre-tender consultancy services for both schemes. That tender was later cancelled.
One factor that may give the project renewed impetus in 2023 is the appointment of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed, the son of the UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, as the chairman of Abu Dhabi Transport Company. This is significant because his appointment as the head of Etihad Rail is widely regarded as the moment the UAE’s national rail project was reinvigorated after years of delays.
His role leading Etihad Rail has been considered a success, and there was recently an inauguration ceremony for the freight network that connects the seven emirates of the UAE.
As the regional rail story gathers momentum, Abu Dhabi’s rail ambitions may now include urban networks at home.
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Abu Dhabi-based developer Modon Holding has tendered several contracts as part of the first phase of development at Ras El-Hekma, a planned new city on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
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