Contractors are forming joint ventures to bid for upcoming design-and-build works packages for the high-speed rail line connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The firms are required to submit their joint-venture confirmation forms by 28 August.

The client issued a notice to contractors inviting them to prequalify for a contract to design and build the civil works package in the first week of July, with an initial deadline of 31 July.

The high-speed project will slash journey times between the UAE’s two largest cities and economic centres.

It is separate from the Etihad Rail passenger service, which will travel at 200 kilometres an hour (km/h) and will use the same network as the UAE’s freight rail network, for which construction work is now largely complete.

Etihad Rail was anticipated to launch the prequalification process for the UAE’s high-speed rail line connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai by the end of Q2 2024.

Etihad Rail also asked contractors to express interest in the early works for the project in February.

The early works for the UAE’s high-speed network will involve a contractor clearing and preparing sites for actual construction work. This typically includes earthmoving and the diversion of existing infrastructure and utilities in the area.

The preliminary site testing works have begun. Dubai-based Matcon Testing Laboratory and Abu Dhabi’s Engineering & Research International are conducting drilling tests to ascertain the ground conditions in areas through which the high-speed rail will pass. One area where testing is being carried out is Jaddaf in Dubai.

Spanish engineering firms Sener and Ineco are the project’s engineering consultants.

AED50bn rail links

In late 2021, the UAE launched a AED50bn ($13.6bn) programme to establish an integrated cargo and passenger transport system across the country.

The programme comprises three projects, the first of which is the freight rail component, which includes Etihad Rail’s freight capacity.

The second project, for rail passenger services, aims to connect 11 cities within the UAE, from Al-Sila to Fujairah. The passenger transport scheme seeks to minimise travel times between Abu Dhabi and Dubai to 50 minutes and between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah to 100 minutes.

More than 36.5 million passengers are expected to use the system by 2030.

The third project in the programme, which covers integrated transport services, involves establishing an innovation centre to incorporate smart transportation solutions into the overall plan. A light rail network will be linked to the rail passenger system to facilitate transportation within UAE cities.

These projects will add to existing and under-construction elements of the network.