meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Neom prioritises rail construction work

13 June 2023

 

Register for MEED's guest programme 

Neom has reduced the scope of work for upcoming construction contracts on the infrastructure corridor alongside The Line as it prioritises the delivery of certain elements of the 170-kilometre-long project.

Firms working on the infrastructure corridor, which is known as The Spine, have been informed that the length of tunnelling has been reduced by 37 kilometres (km), the number of stations to be developed has been reduced to nine from 48, and the freight rail will share the same infrastructure as the high-speed rail.

The commuter line, known as the Group Mass Transit, will be completed later.

Phased delivery

A spokesperson for Neom said: “The Line is a long-term endeavour, and along with The Spine, is being delivered in phases. Neom is currently engaging leading rail suppliers to execute the detailed design and delivery of phase one for the high-speed passenger and freight rail systems, to ensure the resilience of the network.”

MEED reported in May that Neom has invited companies to submit bids in October for contracts to provide rolling stock for the high-speed and freight railways running alongside The Line and connecting to the Oxagon industrial city development.

As well as the provision of rolling stock, the contract covers the electrification, signalling and control systems for the Connector South and The Spine. The Spine is the infrastructure corridor running parallel to The Line that includes the high-speed rail, while the Connector South links Oxagon to The Line.

Ongoing activity

For the civil works, there are several construction packages at various stages. MEED reported in early May that a joint venture of Italy-based Webuild and Riyadh-headquartered Shibh al-Jazira Contracting (Sajco) had secured a contract to build the Connector South. The infrastructure corridor will run south from The Line to Neom City Station through Neom Bay Mansions, Neom Bay airport and on to Oxagon.

In April, Neom invited selected contractors to submit bids to complete tunnels that will serve as the railway junction connecting The Spine with the Neom Connector, known as the Delta Junction.

The project involves 26.5km of tunnelling work that will be split into two lots, one for the north and the other for the south.

The work will be completed in five sections, each involving about 5km of tunnels excavated through hard rock using drill-and-blast and cut-and-cover techniques.

Contractors are also bidding for The Line's cut-and-cover tunnel sections. These works are divided into contracts known as Type A, Type B and Type C. Some will be completed using concrete cast on site, while others will be built using precast concrete sections.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10936993/main.gif
Colin Foreman

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Diriyah tenders conference and exhibition centre

    4 November 2025

     

    Saudi Arabia’s gigaproject developer Diriyah Company has issued a tender inviting contractors to bid for the construction of a conference and exhibition centre in the second phase of the Diriyah project.

    MEED understands that the main contract tender was issued in October.

    Technical bids are due on 9 November, while commercial bids must be submitted by 17 December.

    The project covers an area of 29,000 square metres in Diriyah’s Northern Community.

    The Diriyah masterplan envisages the city as a cultural and lifestyle tourism destination. Located northwest of Riyadh’s city centre, it will cover 14 square kilometres and combine 300 years of history, culture and heritage with hospitality facilities.

    This year, the company has awarded several main construction contracts worth over SR18bn ($5bn).

    Just days after Webuild announced that it had won the $600m contract for package three of the Diriyah Square project, Beijing-headquartered China Harbour Engineering Company won a SR5.7bn ($1.5bn) contract to build the Arena Block assets in the Boulevard Southwest section of the second phase of the Diriyah Gate development (DG2).

    In April, Diriyah awarded an estimated SR4bn ($1.1bn) contract for a utilities relocation package for the King Saud University project located in DG2. The contract was awarded to a joint venture of Beijing-headquartered China Railway Construction Corporation and China Railway Construction Group Central Plain Construction Company.

    Earlier in the same month, a SR5.1bn ($1.3bn) construction deal was awarded to a joint venture of local firm El-Seif Engineering & Contracting, Beijing-headquartered China State Construction Engineering Corporation and Qatari firm Midmac Contracting to build the Royal Diriyah Opera House.

    Also in April, a consortium of Saudi Arabia-based contractors Almajal Alarabi and Man Construction won an estimated SR915m ($244m) contract to build King Salman Grand Mosque in Diriyah.

    Once complete, Diriyah will have the capacity to accommodate 100,000 residents and visitors.

    READ THE NOVEMBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Mena players up the ante in global LNG production race; Investment takes UAE non-oil economy from strength to strength; Project finance activity draws international lenders back to market

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the November 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15013053/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Bahrain unveils $17bn of new projects at Gateway Gulf

    3 November 2025

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Bahrain announced $17bn of new projects at the Gateway Gulf investment forum on 2 November.

    The investment pipeline matches the $17bn in foreign direct investment (FDI) the kingdom has successfully attracted since the first Gateway Gulf forum in 2018. The 2025 event includes 61 announcements and 33 signing ceremonies.

    In his keynote address, Sheikh Salman Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, the finance and national economy minister, said the GCC is no longer just a capital hub and is emerging as a centre of creativity, sustainability and technological excellence.

    In particular, he emphasised the role of artificial intelligence (AI) as Bahrain positions its economy for the future. “More profoundly, and perhaps even more transformational than the industrial revolution, we have entered the age of intelligence,” he said.

    He highlighted the shift of AI “from the margins to the core, shaping how factories operate, how banks serve their customers, how ports and logistics networks move goods around the world”.

    The new wave of investment projects aligns with this focus. At Gateway Gulf, Beyon Solutions and Bahrain’s Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) signed an agreement to launch Bahrain’s first AI-ready Sovereign HyperCloud, built with Oracle Alloy. Hosted entirely in Bahrain, the platform provides secure, locally governed cloud and AI services for government and enterprises.

    Another announcement at Gateway Gulf on 2 November was the signing of a deal by steel producer Foulath Holding and Yellow Door Energy to develop a 123 MWp solar project under a power purchase agreement. It includes the world’s largest single-site rooftop plant at 50 MWp. The rooftop installation will feature 77,000 panels across a new 262,000-square-metre stockyard shed.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15004385/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman
  • Dubai extends bid deadlines for key drainage projects

    31 October 2025

    Dubai Municipality has extended the bid submission deadlines for two key drainage projects under the $8bn Tasreef programme to develop, rehabilitate and expand Dubai’s stormwater drainage network.

    The first project, listed as TF-05-C1, involves a stormwater drainage system in Jebel Ali and the surrounding areas.

    The new deadline is 10 November, a source close to the project told MEED.

    The project covers approximately 27 kilometres of stormwater network and will serve major transport routes, including Sheikh Zayed Road and Al-Jamayel Road.

    The bid submission date for the tender, was initially 2 October before being extended to 30 October.

    The second project, listed under TF-11-C1,  is for the development of a stormwater pond, evacuation line and pumping station.

    The project includes a comprehensive stormwater drainage system, featuring a tunnel ranging from three to four metres in diameter along Dubai–Al Ain Road and the D54.

    The new deadline is 4 November.

    The bid submission date for the tender, was initially 25 September.

    The schemes are being procured by the municipality’s Sewerage and Recycled Water Projects Department as part of the Tasreef programme.

    In October, Dubai Municipality awarded contracts for two other major projects under the initiative.

    Local firm DeTech Contracting won the main contract for the construction of a stormwater drainage system on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and Al-Yalayis Road in Dubai.

    The municipality alos awarded a contract to Greece/Lebanon-based Archirodon for the construction of the Resilient Future Flow Outfall project. 

    The $25m project involves the construction of a 4-kilometre subsea pipeline with a 2-metre diameter and a discharge capacity of 9 cubic metres a second.

    The Tasreef masterplan that will serve key areas across the emirate, including Nad Al-Hamar, the vicinity of Dubai International airport, Garhoud, Rashidiya, Al-Quoz, Zabeel, Al-Wasl, Jumeirah and Al-Badaa. The initiative aims to expand Dubai’s rainwater drainage capacity by 700% by 2033.

    DeTech Consulting previously won the $136m contract to upgrade the West Deira stormwater system.

    This project was the first of the five planned Tasreef projects to enter construction, earlier this year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14993856/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Gas demand reshapes priorities

    31 October 2025

    Commentary
    Colin Foreman
    Editor

    Read the November issue of MEED Business Review

    Gas has increasingly been regarded as a crucial transition fuel over the past decade as governments race to cut carbon emissions and meet climate pledges – including the Paris Agreement’s aim to keep warming well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

    Those commitments have driven the demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) globally and this has reshaped investment priorities across the region, with Qatar, Oman and the UAE eyeing future export growth.

    QatarEnergy’s North Field expansion is the largest investment. The estimated $40bn programme will push Qatar’s LNG output towards 142 million tonnes a year by the end of this decade, almost doubling its present position and consolidating its role as a market anchor.

    Abu Dhabi is also committed to expanding its capacity. Its downstream strategies include a major greenfield LNG terminal at Ruwais, due to enter service in 2028 with two 4.8 million t/y trains adding 9.6 million t/y to the UAE’s export capability.

    These programmes are keeping contractors busy. Over the past five years, more than $44bn of LNG-related contracts have been awarded in the region – which is more than eight times the $5.3bn recorded in the previous five year period.

    At the same time, there are ample opportunities for contractors as other countries in the region build import infrastructure. Projects are already under way in Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco – and more are expected.

    With base load concerns remaining for many countries when it comes to completely switching to renewables, gas is expected to be a fuel of choice for the decades to come. The investments made in production capacity mean the region will play a pivotal role in delivering the world’s energy needs.

    READ THE NOVEMBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Mena players up the ante in global LNG production race; Investment takes UAE non-oil economy from strength to strength; Project finance activity draws international lenders back to market

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the November 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14992876/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Dubai evaluates Al-Maktoum airport substructure bids

    31 October 2025

     

    Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) is evaluating the bids it received from contractors on 15 September for substructure works for the first phase of the expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport.

    “The bid evaluation is ongoing and the project is expected to be awarded by the end of this year,” sources close to the project told MEED.

    MEED understands that the bidders include:

    • Alec (local)
    • China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (China)
    • China State Construction Engineering Corporation (China)
    • China Harbour Engineering Company (China)
    • Dutco Construction (local)
    • Innovo (local)
    • Limak / PowerChina (Turkiye/China)
    • Shapoorji Pallonji (India)
    • Webuild / Tristar (Italy/local)

    According to an official description on DAEP’s website, the expanded airport’s West Terminal will be a seven-level, 800,000-square-metre facility with an annual capacity of 45 million passengers.

    It will be the second of three terminals at Al-Maktoum International airport, linked to the airside by a 14-station automated people-mover (APM) system.

    In August, MEED exclusively reported that DAEP had received bids from firms to build the APM at Al-Maktoum airport. 

    The system will run under the apron of the entire airfield and the airport’s terminals. It will consist of several tracks, taking passengers from the terminals to the concourses.

    Four underground stations will be built as part of the first phase. The overall plan includes 14 stations across the airport.

    The airport’s construction is planned to be undertaken in three phases. The airport will cover an area of 70 square kilometres (sq km) south of Dubai and will have five parallel runways, five terminal buildings and 400 aircraft gates.

    It will be five times the size of the existing Dubai International airport and will have the world’s largest passenger-handling capacity of 260 million passengers a year. For cargo, it will have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes a year.

    Construction progress

    Construction on the first phase has already begun. In May, MEED exclusively reported that DAEP had awarded a AED1bn ($272m) deal to UAE firm Binladin Contracting Group to construct the second runway at the airport.

    The enabling works on the terminal are also ongoing and are being undertaken by Abu Dhabi-based Tristar E&C.

    While speaking to the press on the sidelines of the Airport Show in Dubai in May, Khalifa Al-Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, said the government of Dubai will award more packages this year, including for the APM and baggage handling systems.

    “Several other packages are expected to be tendered this year, including the terminal substructure, 132kV substations and district cooling plants,” Al-Zaffin said.

    Construction works on the project’s first phase are expected to be completed by 2032.

    The government approved the updated designs and timelines for its largest construction project in April 2024.

    In a statement, the authorities said the plan is for all operations from Dubai International airport to be transferred to Al-Maktoum International within 10 years.

    The statement added that the project will create housing demand for 1 million people around the airport.

    In September last year, MEED exclusively reported that a team comprising Austria’s Coop Himmelb(l)au and Lebanon’s Dar Al-Handasah had been confirmed as the lead masterplanning and design consultants on the expansion of Al-Maktoum airport.

    Project history

    The expansion of Al-Maktoum International, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), is a long-standing project. It was officially launched in 2014, with a different design from the one approved in April 2024. At that time, it involved building the biggest airport in the world by 2050, with the capacity to handle 255 million passengers a year.

    An initial phase, due to be completed in 2030, involved increasing the airport’s capacity to 130 million passengers a year. The development was to cover an area of 56 sq km.

    Progress on the project slipped as the region grappled with the impact of lower oil prices and Dubai focused on developing the Expo 2020 site. Tendering for work on the project then stalled with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.

    READ THE NOVEMBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Mena players up the ante in global LNG production race; Investment takes UAE non-oil economy from strength to strength; Project finance activity draws international lenders back to market

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the November 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14991651/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal