Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s rail network, has set the deadline of September 11 for contractors to submit the prequalification forms for the design and construction of civil works on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai rail line, MEED reported.

The initial deadline was August 14, after the prequalification notice was issued in July, the report said.

The Abu Dhabi-Dubai rail line will be the second high-speed railway network in the GCC after Saudi Arabia’s Haramain HSR, which links the cities of Makkah and Madinah.

The proposed UAE rail network will be developed in four phases, eventually expanding across the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi and Dubai rail line, the first phase of the mega project, is estimated to be operational by 2030, MEED reported.

(Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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