The Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (MTT) announced on Monday the launch of a new procurement process for the construction of the fully automated and driverless Bahrain Metro project using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. 

MTT said in a press statement it will host a ‘Global Market Virtual Sounding Forum’ in the first week of March to introduce the project to the global construction industry with tendering process slated to start later in the year. 

KPMG is the lead transaction advisor for the project, the statement said. 

Bahrain Metro, according to the statement, will consist of a 109-kilometre urban railway network comprising of four transit lines to be developed in phases. Phase 1 will comprise of two lines with an estimated length of 28.6 km and includes 20 stations with two interchanges. The two lines will connect the key transit points including Bahrain International Airport as well as major residential areas, commercial areas and school districts in Bahrain. 

Announcing the launch of the project, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications said his  ministry has been working “in full force” on a complete transportation infrastructure improvement strategy covering land, air and sea, “to both support and drive the Kingdom’s economic development.” 

The statement noted that the Bahrain Metro Project is part of the Gulf state’s pipeline of large-scale infrastructure projects worth $32 billion covering transportation, industrial, hospitality and retail sectors.  

It said work is also set to begin on the $4 billion King Hamad Causeway project following the appointment in October 2019 of a consultancy consortium to develop the financial model and other requirements necessary for construction.  

Most recently, the $1.1 Billion Bahrain International Airport expansion has been completed, with the new terminal operational. The second phase of the expansion will focus on the new Cargo Express Village, which will offer direct access to airside and freighter parking, set to be completed in the second half of this year. 

(Writing by Syed Ameen Kader; Editing by Anoop Menon) 

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com) 

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