Related Articles

• 
  Qatari Diar unveils $30bn Egypt project masterplan

  21 July 2026

  Qatari Diar, the real estate arm of the Qatar Investment Authority, has announced the masterplan for its $30bn Alam Al-Roum project on Egypt’s north coast.

  The masterplan was developed by US-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

  The master-planning team also includes US-based landscape architecture firm SWA; UK-headquartered marina design and operations consultant Marina Projects; and French transport and traffic engineering consultant Setec.

  The development will cover more than 20 million square metres and include 7.2 kilometres of private beachfront on the Mediterranean Sea.

  The site is about 20 minutes from Marsa Matrouh and 50 minutes from Ras El-Hekma.

  According to a statement, the project includes $3.5bn in direct cash investment and is designed as an integrated, year-round Mediterranean destination.

  Alam Al-Roum expands Qatari Diar Egypt’s portfolio, which includes CityGate, New Giza and The St Regis Cairo.

  Qatari Diar and Egypt’s New Urban Communities Authority signed the project agreement for Alam Al-Roum in November 2025.

  The estimated value of the deal to Egypt is $7.5bn. Under the agreement, Cairo will receive an upfront payment of $3.5bn by late December 2025 for the initial land purchase and is expected to receive an in-kind stake in the project, estimated to be worth $1.8bn.

  Qatari Diar’s broader investment plans for the area include spending up to $26.2bn in addition to the $3.5bn already allocated for the land purchase.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17707658/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Contractors submit final offers for Global Sports Tower

  21 July 2026

  

   

  Contractors submitted their last and final offers in the first week of July for the main construction contract for the Global Sports Tower, located in the Athletics District of the Sports Boulevard development in Riyadh.

  The Sports Boulevard Foundation issued the tender for the main works contract on 31 July last year.

  The 130-metre-tall Global Sports Tower will cover an area of 84,000 square metres (sq m) and include more than 30 sports facilities.

  The tower will feature the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall, at 98 metres, and a 250-metre running track.

  Saudi Arabia’s Sports Boulevard Foundation also received bids on 10 June for a contract covering project management consultancy (PMC) services for the Global Sports Tower, as MEED reported.

  MEED reported in May 2025 that design work on the tower had been completed. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud approved the designs in 2024.

  The Sports Boulevard development runs across Riyadh from east to west and, once complete, is set to be the world’s longest park, spanning more than 135 kilometres.

  The development will feature several districts, including Wadi Hanifah, the Arts District, Urban Wadi, the Entertainment District, the Athletics District and the Eco District, as well as Sands Sports Park.

  The large-scale project aims to transform central Riyadh – currently dominated by major highways – into a recreational corridor.

  Sports Boulevard, which will feature 4.4 million sq m of public realm and landmark buildings, will also be home to the Centre for Cinematic Arts and a 2,000-seat amphitheatre.

  The development will provide more than 2.3 million sq m of mixed-use commercial, residential and retail assets, along with sports facilities around the park, which will be known as Linear Park.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17707675/main.jpeg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Consultants submit bids for Saudi Arabia’s GCC rail link

  20 July 2026

  

   

  Consultants submitted proposals on 14 July for a contract to provide design consultancy services for the Saudi Arabian section of the GCC railway network, which is intended to link all six member states.

  Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) issued the tender on 7 May, MEED previously reported.

  The tender covers the concept, preliminary and issued for construction design stages. SAR requires the selected consultant to review, update and complete the existing preliminary design.

  The consultants who submitted bids include: 

  • Atkins with Khatib & Alami
  • DeutscheBahn with ARX
  • Egis with Sener
  • Idom with Dal Al-Handasah
  • Systra

  Saudi Arabia’s section of the railway will start at Al-Khafji in the Eastern Province, near the border with Kuwait, and end at Al-Batha, on Saudi Arabia’s border with the UAE. The route length in Saudi Arabia will be about 672 kilometres (km).

  The railway will interface with the Kuwait National Rail Road (KNRR) project on the Kuwaiti side. Last year, MEED exclusively reported that the KNRR design contract was awarded to Turkiye’s Proyapi Muhendislik ve Musavirlik Anonim Sirketi.

  The KNRR forms part of the wider GCC rail network. GCC railway projects have gained renewed momentum since the six member states signed the Al-Ula Declaration in January 2021.

  In October last year, Qatar’s cabinet approved a draft agreement paving the way for a railway link between Qatar and Saudi Arabia as part of the GCC railway network.

  GCC railway line

  Under the overall plan, the railway will run from Kuwait, pass through Dammam in Saudi Arabia, reach Bahrain via a planned causeway, and continue from Dammam to Qatar, the UAE and, ultimately, Muscat via Sohar in Oman. The railway is reported to span about 2,186km in total.

  The route length within each member state is as follows: 684km in the UAE, 672km in Saudi Arabia, 306km in Oman, 283km in Qatar, 145km in Kuwait and 36km in Bahrain.

  The railway is designed for passenger trains travelling at 220km/h and freight trains operating at 80-120km/h.

  With high levels of project activity, governments in spending mode and renewed cooperation under the Al-Ula Declaration, the latest efforts to restart the GCC railway project may make more progress than previous attempts. If completed, the railway could prove transformational for a region that is globally connected but still divided by national borders.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17705320/main.gif

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Chinese firm wins Dubai drainage contract

  20 July 2026

  China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has announced it has won a contract to deliver a stormwater drainage pipeline package under Dubai Municipality’s Tasreef programme.

  The contract is for the TF-15-C2 stormwater drainage network project located along Umm Suqeim Road in the Al-Barsha and Al-Quoz areas of Dubai. 

  MEED exclusively revealed in May that the contractor had been selected for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. The project is estimated to cost $162m.

  The scope of work includes the construction of about 20 kilometres of new stormwater pipelines, together with associated inspection and intake manholes. The project is located west of the Dubai Canal and will connect the Al-Quoz 3 and Al-Quoz 4 industrial areas with Al-Quoz 1.

  It is being delivered as part of Dubai’s Tasreef strategic plan, which supports the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. Once completed, the new drainage infrastructure is expected to improve the emirate’s stormwater network, increase flood protection and enhance the resilience of Dubai’s infrastructure.

  In February, the municipality confirmed it had awarded contracts for five new projects under phase two of the programme to expand and strengthen Dubai’s stormwater drainage network.

  These include a separate contract awarded to CSCEC for the TF-11-C1 stormwater drainage project in the Dubailand area.

  Also in February, Dubai Municipality invited consultants to qualify for a contract to supervise construction on the TF-15-C2 stormwater drainage projects along with two other projects (TF-13-C1 and TF-16-C1) under the Tasreef programme.

  According to a source, a consultant has yet to be appointed.

  TF-16-C1 involves upgrading and rehabilitating the stormwater system east of the Dubai Canal, while TF-13-C1 involves building a water pipeline stormwater drainage system at Al-Marmoum, Al-Qudra and Al-Yalayis 2 & 3.

  Bids are currently under evaluation for the EPC contracts for both projects.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17705058/main.jpg

  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Dubai receives eight bids for Hassyan SWRO pipeline contract

  20 July 2026

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Eight contractors have made offers for a contract to supply, install, test and commission glass-reinforced epoxy (GRE) water transmission pipelines and associated works for the Hassyan seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) phase two network in Dubai.

  The contract relates to project one of the Hassyan pipeline network expansion being undertaken by state utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa).

  Local firm Binladin Contracting Group submitted the lowest offer of AED335.92m ($91.5m), according to results published by the utility.

  The other bids were:

  • Green Oasis General Contracting (UAE) – AED345.00m ($93.9m)
  • Al-Nasr Contracting (UAE) – AED391.54m ($106.6m)
  • Wade Adams Contracting (UAE) – AED393.80m ($107.2m)
  • RMB Contracting (UAE) – AED437.96m ($119.3m) 
  • Tristar Engineering & Construction (UAE) – AED441.55m ($120.2m)
  • Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast (UAE/India) – AED451.47m ($122.9m)
  • Gulf Petrochemical Services Trading (UAE) – AED495.20m ($134.8m)

  RMB also submitted a conditional discounted offer of AED427.02m ($116.3m). Three companies submitted regret notices, while one offer was rejected after no valid commercial offer was received. 

  In January, Dewa announced that construction of the 180-million-imperial-gallon-a-day phase one of the Hassyan SWRO independent water project was 90% complete.

  Dewa has two other contracts out for tender for GRE water transmission pipeline work related to the Hassyan SWRO phase two network.

  Project two was tendered on 22 January and has a bid submission deadline of 21 July. Project three was tendered on 26 January and has a bid submission deadline of 29 July.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17704940/main.jpg

  Mark Dowdall