MEED reported that the New Doha International Airport Steering Committee has received bids for the contract to build a railway station at the USD 11 billion New Doha International airport.

As per report, on November 3rd 2009, companies including the UAE/Australian Al Habtoor Leighton Group; UAE based Al Naboodah Contracting; the local Aljaber Engineering; the UAE’s Arabtec Construction; Athens based Consolidated Contractors Company and its local partner Teyseer Contracting Company; Germany’s Ed Zueblin and a consortium of China’s Sino Hydro Corporation and 2 Malaysian companies, Gamuda and WCT all bid for the job.

The Passenger Rail Station Box project covers the construction of a railway terminus for an express rail line connecting the airport to stations in Doha and other rail networks.

According to sources close to the project, the steering committee plans to finish the station in time for the opening of the first Phases II of the new airport in 2011. The tender is the first construction contract on the 5 rail lines Doha plans to build over the next 10 years.

Doha plans to build several rail lines and other public transport networks over the next decade. The Trade & Business Ministry plans to invite consultants to bid in 2010 for a national railway system.

Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, in partnership with Deutsche Bahn has already developed a conceptual design for Qatar’s national rail network. The companies’ multi billion dollar concept design has 5 components: an east coast rail link between Ras Laffan and Mesaieed, a high speed link from Doha to Bahrain across the Qatar and Bahrain Causeway, a freight link connecting to the planned GCC rail network, a metro network in Doha and a light rail network serving residential developments.

(Sourced from MEED)