The Dubai Rapid Link (DURL) consortium, headed by Mitsubishi Corp of Japan, won a Dh12.45 billion ($3.38 billion) contract for the Dubai Metro project.
DURL is a consortium of four companies, its members besides Mitsubishi being Japan’s Obayashi and Kajima groups, and Turkey’s Yapi Merkezi. The same consortium also won a Dh1.88 billion contract to carry out maintenance of the project for 15 years.
Qasim Sultan, director-general of Dubai Municipality, and Susumu Uchida, director and board member of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, signed the contract in Dubai. Sultan said the light rail project would be constructed in two phases within a period of 55 months, with Phase One taking 49 months and Phase Two 35 months.
“We will embark on Phase Two 20 months into Phase One, finishing both in five years,” he said. Construction would start in July this year, and the first train will begin running in June 2009.
“It was a dream project for us and beyond our belief, but we have achieved it thanks to the vision of our Rulers,” said Sultan.
The Dubai Metro will be a fully automated and driverless system having two lines with one line running from Rashidiya Station to Jebel Ali Station, and another line running from Dubai Airport Free Zone to Dubai Healthcare City.
Dubai Municipality has announced it will finance the ambitious Dh12.45 billion Dubai Metro project.
He did not reveal financing details but said the civic body would run the project as well. “There is the possibility of privatising the operations of the project in future but that proposal is still under discussion,” he said.
Three other consortia were in the race. Their quotes were: Dubai Star Dh18.26 billion, Salsabeel Dh18.84 billion and Metro One Dh19.29billion.
Sultan said the selection of DURL came after a detailed, three-month long evaluation of both financial and technical offers of the four consortia.
Nasser Saeed, coordinator for Dubai Metro project, said Dubai Municipality found all the offers acceptable from a technical point of view. While some differed in certain aesthetic aspects, all had the potential and experience to accomplish the project. The selection became less difficult as there were substantial differences in the rates offered.
Uchida said Mitsubishi’s strength in providing high technology and its experience in Japan were important factors in the selection of the consortium it headed.
The train operation will require 400 MW of electricity, which will be provided by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which will set up a dedicated power station.
