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Lowest bidder changes again for Dubai Metro Blue Line

5 December 2024

 

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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.

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Colin Foreman

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