Saudi Arabia’s Al-Madinah Region Development Authority (MDA), through the National Centre for Privatisation and PPP (NCP), is expected to issue the request for proposals (RFP) for the contract to develop a bus rapid transit (BRT) network public-private partnership (PPP)  project soon.

"Depending on the final approvals, the RFP could be issued within weeks," a source close to the project tells MEED.

MDA qualified three consortiums and seven individual companies that can bid for the project, MEED reported in early October. 

The qualified bidders include:

• Transdev (France) / Nesma (local)
• Arail (local) / ATM (Italy)
• Alsa (Spain) / National Express (UK)
• Moventia (Spain)
• Saptco (local)
• ST Engineering 
• Hafil (local)
• Al-Bawani (local)
• Keolis (France)
• Petromin (local)

The qualified individual companies may form consortiums to bid for the contract, the source told MEED at the time.

Forty-three companies expressed interest in the contract to develop the BRT project in July last year.

The project scope involves financing, procuring and delivery of depots, rolling stock and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). It also covers the operation and maintenance of the bus fleet and the collection of fares.

The planned Medina BRT comprises three corridors with a total length of 64.6 kilometres (km), as well as a feeder bus network.

The project has an estimated capacity of 1,800 passengers an hour.

The first route will stretch 16.2km from Ohud to Quba Mosque and have 12 stops and two park-and-ride facilities.

The second and main route will be 38km long and start from Medina’s Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International airport, pass the Prophet’s Mosque, and terminate at Miqat Mosque. It will have 24 stations and three park-and-ride bus stops.

The third corridor starts from the eastern terminus on Al-Qassim Road and runs to Prince Abdul Majeed Mosque. It is 10.4km long, with 10 stations and a park-and-ride facility.

The project will be developed on a design, build, finance, operate and maintain (DBFOM) basis.

Pioneering PPP

Based on the plan, the private sector will be responsible for financing, designing and building the depots, financing and procuring the rolling stock or bus fleet and the ITS, as well as delivering the operations and maintenance for the BRT lines.

The public sector or MDA will execute and deliver the civil works on the project, including the bus lanes, tunnels, bridges and viaducts.

MDA appointed a team of UK-based Deloitte, the US/Saudi HDR Middle East and the local Abdul Rahman Fahad al-Khaili as transaction advisers for the project in 2021.