WITH work well in progress on Phase One of the UAE’s national railway network, Etihad Rail is now poised to flag off the second stage with the launch of tenders for the first three contracts of  this vital phase.

The tenders are for contracts covering the design and build of new lines between Ruwais and Ghweifat (137 km), Liwa Junction and Al Ain (190 km), as well as for the railway integration and systems contract (covering signalling, communications and commissioning) for the Stage Two network.

The tenders come on the back of the workshop hosted by Etihad Rail which took place in June, and at which applicants to the pre-qualification process were advised that the three packages would be issued imminently with the remaining Stage Two tenders expected over the next few months, according to a spokesman for Etihad Rail, the master developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway network.

Stage Two represents a significant component of the national rail network in both scale and scope, as it will further connect industrial and urban areas, and will see the railway connect with the planned GCC network – linking with Saudi Arabia at Ghweifat and Oman at Al Ain. Construction of Stage Two is scheduled to begin early next year, following the award of the tendered contracts.

The tendering of the first contracts for Stage Two follows the commencement earlier this year of construction works near Mirfa in the Western Region for Stage One of the network. Stage One is being developed in partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), which will adopt rail as the main means for transporting granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to the port of Ruwais for export.

The Etihad Rail network is being built in phases to link the principal centres of population and industry of the UAE, as well as to form a vital part of the GCC railway network. Upon completion, the Dh40-billion ($10.9 billion) network – which will cater to both freight and passengers – will span a total of 1,200 km across the UAE. It will connect urban and remote communities, facilitate trade, open up communication channels and foster economic development.

Stage One of the railway network involves developing the 266-km route linking Shah, Habshan and Ruwais in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region. It is expected to be completed next year in time for the first freight shipment of granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais.

Phase Two involves the construction of the remainder of the Abu Dhabi emirate network and a connection to Dubai – covering vital areas such as Mussaffah and the Khalifa and Jebel Ali ports; and Phase Three entails the implementation of the rest of the network in the Northern Emirates.

Etihad Rail had recently awarded a number of contracts for Stage One of the rail network. These include the civil and track works contract that was awarded to a consortium comprising Italy’s Saipem, Tecnimont and the UAE-based Dodsal Engineering and Construction.

The project management consultant (PMC) contract was awarded to a joint venture of Parsons and Aecom; while India’s PCM Strescon Ventures was awarded the contract for the provision of railway sleepers. The company will be responsible for the provision of railway sleepers in a purpose-built sleeper manufacturing facility at Etihad Rail’s rail head.

Meanwhile, Electro-Motive Diesel, from North America, was assigned to deliver seven locomotives custom-built for desert conditions this year; and CSR Corporation of China was appointed to supply 240 covered hopper wagons for the movement of granulated sulphur in the Western Region.

In addition, Etihad Rail has also signed several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with a number of companies. These include an MoU with DP World for the development of an intermodal rail terminal in Jebel Ali Port, which will enable the more efficient transfer of containerised freight arriving at the port inland.

Similarly, leading manufacturers Arkan and Emirates Steel seek to use the rail network as the main method of transportation for their raw and finished materials; and Al Dahra Agriculture Company plans to use it as a more efficient means of transporting hay as soon as Etihad Rail’s second stage is operational.

Meanwhile, Etisalat and Du, whose expertise in telecommunications services will benefit Etihad Rail, will both gain access to and use of the railway infrastructure to expand their network and customer base in the UAE.