Lowest bidder changes again for Dubai Metro Blue Line
5 December 2024

Register for MEED's 14-day trial access
The lowest bidder for the Dubai Metro Blue Line project has changed again after contractors submitted revised offers on 3 December.
The lowest bidder is the consortium of Turkiye’s Limak Holding, Mapa Group, also of Turkiye, and the Hong Kong office of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) with a price of AED20.5bn ($5.6bn).
The second-lowest bidder is the team of Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and France’s Alstom with a price of AED21.6bn.
The consortium of India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T), China’s Powerchina, the local Wade Adams and Hitachi submitted an offer of AED21.7bn.
These prices were changed from the previous round of bids that were submitted on 21 November, when the project client, the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), asked bidders to submit alternatives to reduce the price. Some of these alternatives have been accepted, while others have been rejected.
The China State/Alstom team was the lowest bidder with a price of AED19.8bn on 21 November, followed by L&T/Powerchina/Wade Adams/Hitachi with an offer of AED20.3bn, and Limak/Mapa/CRRC with a bid of AED20.6bn.
The RTA had received another round of updated offers on 14 November. That time the Limak/Mapa/CRRC team submitted the lowest bid with a price of AED21.7bn.
For the first round of revised offers on 7 November, the group of China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group (CTCE), Egypt’s Arab Contractors, the local Binladin Contracting Group and Spain’s CAF submitted the lowest-priced revised base offer of AED22.2bn.
The CTCE/Arab Contractors/Binladin/CAF group submitted the lowest base offer when the bids were first submitted on 6 October.
The design-and-build contractor for the Blue Line will be responsible for all civil works, electromechanical works, rolling stock and rail systems. After completing the project, the contractor will assist with maintenance and operations for an initial three-year period.
The Blue Line will connect the existing Red and Green lines. It will have a total length of 30 kilometres (km), 15.5km underground and 14.5km above ground.
The line will have 14 stations, seven of which will be elevated. There will be five underground stations, including one interchange station, and two elevated transfer stations connected to the existing Centrepoint and Creek stations.
The scope of the contract also includes the supply of 28 driverless trains, the construction of a depot to accommodate up to 60 trains and the construction of all associated roads, facilities and utility diversion works.
The detailed scope of work for the project includes:
- Civil works, including detailed design and construction of architectural and structural components (including viaducts, tunnels and stations)
- Design and execution of electromechanical works
- Design, procurement and delivery of operation and control systems for rail, stations and facilities
- Design, manufacturing and supply of rolling stock
UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, approved the Blue Line extension project last year. In a post on social media network X, formerly Twitter, he said the project will cost AED18bn ($4.9bn) and will have a length of 30km, half of which will be underground.
He added that the extensions will transport 320,000 passengers a day and serve a population of about 1 million people living in areas such as Festival City, International City, Rashidiya, Warqa, Mirdif, Silicon Oasis and Academic City.
Exclusive from Meed
-
Events put Saudi Arabia on the world stage29 July 2026
-
Read the August 2026 MEED Business Review29 July 2026
-
Bahrain tenders Tashan sewer scheme29 July 2026
-
Chinese firm signs $3.3bn Kuwait wastewater deal29 July 2026
-
Abu Dhabi tenders urban development consultancy deal29 July 2026
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
Events put Saudi Arabia on the world stage29 July 2026
Commentary
Colin Foreman
EditorThe Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup will not transform Saudi Arabia’s economy on their own, but the momentum they generate and the international profile they bring underline their importance.
Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has taken great strides in changing the international perception of the kingdom. Futuristic projects and investment in football and other sports, combined with social reforms such as opening cinemas and allowing women to drive, have helped foster a new image for the country.
This year, those efforts have been dented as the rest of the world once again sees a region blighted by conflict. Saudi Arabia will need to correct the course of public perception once the conflict draws to a close, and Expo 2030 Riyadh and the 2034 Fifa World Cup are well timed to help the kingdom maintain its modernisation drive.
Both are truly global events that will attract millions of visitors. More than 40 million visits are anticipated at the Expo, and the World Cup final in Qatar in 2022 was watched by some 1.5 billion people.
Both are truly global events that will attract millions of visitors
Locally, the impact has already begun. Flying into Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport from the south, one can clearly see earthworks and infrastructure progressing at the Expo site. To the east of the city, construction work on King Fahd Sports City Stadium is well advanced.
Expo Riyadh 2030 Company expects the construction phase and legacy development to contribute around $64bn to Saudi GDP and generate some 171,000 jobs. Fifteen stadiums are planned across five cities.
Construction activity is ramping up. Tendering is starting for the first buildings at the Expo site, including the KSA Pavilion. Meanwhile, work is beginning on more stadiums and other related infrastructure projects that will support the World Cup.
In the build-up to Expo 2030 and World Cup 2034, construction will be the main event.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17794600/main.gif -
Read the August 2026 MEED Business Review29 July 2026
Download / Subscribe / 14-day trial access Saudi Arabia’s biggest event and infrastructure programmes are moving into a new phase of delivery.
Construction activity at the Expo 2030 Riyadh site is accelerating, with some of the largest packages set to be awarded before the end of this year. Infrastructure works are gathering pace and preparations are intensifying for an event that is expected to reshape the capital long after its six-month run comes to an end.At the same time, the lessons emerging from this summer’s expanded Fifa World Cup provide an early guide to the opportunities – and challenges – Saudi Arabia will face as it prepares to host football’s biggest tournament in 2034.
August’s Market Focus turns to the Maghreb, where four economies are following increasingly divergent paths. While Morocco is benefiting from World Cup-driven investment and a booming tourism sector, Algeria is deploying record public spending, Tunisia is pressing ahead with strategic power investments despite fiscal constraints, and Libya is seeing sustained interest from oil and gas investors undeterred by ongoing political disputes. The report examines what is driving this divergence and where the region’s strongest opportunities now lie.
This edition also includes MEED’s annual ranking of the Top 50 GCC banks, exploring how regional lenders have demonstrated remarkable resilience through recent geopolitical turbulence, supported by strong funding, capital buffers and government backing.
In the latest issue, we speak to renewable energy consultancy SgurrEnergy about why developers are increasingly moving beyond standalone solar towards hybrid renewable energy projects that combine battery storage and other technologies to deliver round-the-clock power.
We also examine how geopolitical tensions, shifting trade routes and supply chain disruption are driving a new wave of global investment in port infrastructure, and consider what Saudi Arabia must do to unlock greater pools of private capital as sovereign funding gives way to a more institutionally financed infrastructure model.
Finally, we congratulate the winners of the Mena Banking Excellence Awards 2026, recognising the retail, digital and SME institutions that are setting new benchmarks for innovation, customer experience and business banking across the region.
We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the August 2026 issue of MEED Business Review.

Must-read sections in the August 2026 issue of MEED Business Review include:
> AGENDA: Expo 2030 Riyadh construction gathers pace
> FOOTBALL: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034INDUSTRY REPORT:
Top 50 Gulf banks
> GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> AWARDS: Mena Banking Excellence Awards reveals retail, digital and SME winners
> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection
> PORTS: Geopolitical risk shapes $513bn of global ports projects
> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solar
> MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS:
> COMMENT: Maghreb fortunes diverge
> GOV'T & ECONOMY: Elections fail to change the Maghreb's political realities
> PAYMENTS: Morocco’s payments shift remains cash-led
> OIL & GAS: Morocco strives to work out feasible energy strategy
> OIL & GAS: Libya’s oil and gas project market has grown by 48%
> OIL & GAS: Value of Algerian extractive projects more than doubles
> POWER & WATER: Tunisia drives Maghreb power investment with $1.4bn electricity link
> CONSTRUCTION: Morocco is bright spot in Maghreb construction
> CONSTRUCTION: Algeria’s record budget sets stage for construction comeback
> TOURISM: Morocco tourism hits record highs
> TOURISM: Tunisia's tourism sector eyes record growth> MEED COMMENTS:
> I Squared deal is latest sign of PIF's new playbook
> Projects market holds its nerve
> Saudi water sector awaits next catalyst
> Gulf IWPPs risk becoming a two-horse race> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf index maintains growth run
> JUNE 2026 CONTRACTS: Middle East contract awards
> ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects
> OPINION: The moving finger of time
> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts
To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17726746/main.gif -
Bahrain tenders Tashan sewer scheme29 July 2026
Bahrain’s Ministry of Works (MoW) has issued a tender for the construction of a sewer network in Tashan, on the outskirts of Manama.
Contractors have until 20 September to submit bids.
The scheme covers blocks 405, 419 and 421, administrative areas covering Tashan and surrounding communities. It will expand the local wastewater collection network and provide connections for existing and planned properties.
The scope includes about 2 kilometres of 150mm-diameter lateral sewers and 4.8km of main sewer lines ranging from 200mm to 400mm in diameter.
The contract also covers house connections and future connections for planned properties.
A pressure station with a capacity of 75 litres a second will be built as part of the scheme. It will be supported by about 834 metres of 250mm-diameter rising main and a discharge chamber.
Other works include the construction of manholes and associated infrastructure, as well as the decommissioning of an existing lift station.
The project is part of Bahrain’s wider programme to develop and expand its sewerage networks and treatment infrastructure.
In June, MoW issued a tender for another sewer network project in A’ali, southwest of Manama, covering Block 730 and part of Block 740.
The scheme will connect 232 plots to the public sewer network. It includes 5.2km of sewer mains with diameters ranging from 200mm to 300mm and about 3.4km of 150mm-diameter lateral sewer lines.
The scope also includes house connections, new manholes and connections to the existing sewer network.
The bid submission deadline for the A’ali project is 5 August.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17800238/main.jpg -
Chinese firm signs $3.3bn Kuwait wastewater deal29 July 2026
Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has confirmed it has signed a contract to build Kuwait’s largest wastewater treatment plant.
The North Kabd wastewater treatment plant and related works contract was signed on 26 July between senior officials from CSCEC and Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works (MPW).
The plant has a planned capacity of up to 1 million cubic metres a day (cm/d).
In January, MEED reported that the Chinese firm had been appointed as the main contractor for the project pending the contract’s official signing.
According to official government records at the time, the Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt) had authorised MPW to proceed with a direct contract valued at KD999.85m ($3.3bn).
The contract covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the facility over a 10-year period.
Earlier, in September 2025, MEED reported that a Chinese firm was expected to sign the contract as part of a series of Kuwait-China agreements covering infrastructure and energy.
This included a $4bn agreement signed in December with China Communications Construction Company for the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project.
The MPW invited bids for the expansion of the Kabd facility in 2022.
Plans for the North Kabd sewage treatment plant (STP) were first announced in 2013, according to regional project tracker MEED Projects.
The initial plan included two STP units with a total combined capacity of close to 500,000 cm/d, in addition to an upgrade to an existing plant.
Kuwait has been investing significantly in wastewater infrastructure to address challenges in reusing treated sewage.
In February, Saudi Arabia’s Acwa and local financial institution Gulf Investment Corporation signed a contract with Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity & Water, confirming the long-term offtake arrangements for the Al-Zour North independent water and power plant (IWPP) phases two and three.
The integrated facility will have a net power generation capacity of at least 2,700MW and a net desalinated water capacity of at least 545,520 cm/d, making it the largest IWPP ever undertaken in the country.
The Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects and the Ministry of Electricity & Water are also tendering phase one of the Al-Khiran IWPP.
The estimated $200m project includes an 1,800MW power plant and a desalination facility with a capacity of 568,000 cm/d.
Bids were submitted for the project in June.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17794972/main.jpg -
Abu Dhabi tenders urban development consultancy deal29 July 2026

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has issued a tender inviting consultants to bid for an integrated consultancy services contract for upcoming works in the capital.
The scope includes the provision of integrated consultancy services across two streams – project management consultancy and secondment – covering stormwater, parks, roads and bridges programmes in Zayed City and Mohammed Bin Zayed City.
The contract duration is two years. Consultants have until 3 August to submit their proposals.
The project is one of a series of major infrastructure schemes being overseen by DMT in Abu Dhabi.
Earlier this month, DMT announced the E20 highway expansion project.
The scheme covers widening the main carriageway from three to five lanes, constructing more than 10 kilometres (km) of new ramps and loops, and building four bridges.
Works also include 1.5km of internal roads and the addition of eight signalised junctions across Khalifa City and the Zayed International airport precinct.
The project includes utility works, comprising 62km of stormwater drainage, 37km of irrigation networks and the installation of 485 streetlights.
Separately, DMT is evaluating bids for a design-and-build contract to construct two bridges serving Hudayriyat Island in Abu Dhabi.
The scope includes a two-lane bridge connecting 32nd Street to Shakhbout Bin Sultan Street, and a single-lane bridge on 8th Street. It also includes upgrades to signalised intersections.
Shakhbout Bin Sultan Street is a two-way road with three lanes in each direction, providing access to and from Hudayriyat Island.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17797254/main.jpg