Evaluation of the prequalification bids submitted by top infrastructure majors for the Bahrain Metro Phase One project was due to be concluded by the end of last month, according to a report that quoted the kingdom’s Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Mohammed Al Kaabi.

“The Bahrain Metro is being implemented in four phases with the first one comprising two lines running 29-km long covering 20 stations. Currently a technical team is studying the bids for Phase One which is set to conclude by the month-end,” Al Kaabi told Akhbar Al Khaleej, our sister publication.

It represents the first phase of the Bahrain government’s ambitious plans of developing a 109-km rail-based urban transit network (metro) that consists of an elevated corridor with two lines and two interchanges. A total of 11 leading global infrastructure majors – including French sustainable mobility expert Alstom, Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Indian construction conglomerate Larsen and Toubro (L&T) are in the race for Phase One of the Bahrain Metro system.

The others vying for the contract include Chinese heavyweights Harbour Engineering and China Railway Group, Plenary Asia (Singapore); Virtue Global Holding (UK) and CRRC (Hong Kong) Company in addition to regional heavyweight Orascom Construction (Egypt).

Two of Bahrain’s leading utility majors – Aradous Energy Generation Company and Taqi Mohammed Albaharana Trading Establishment – are also in the fray.

The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication (MTT) is looking to procure the estimated $2 billion project as an integrated public private partnership (PPP) through a two-stage process comprising a prequalification followed by the main tender process.