| Work Detail |
According to *Constructionweekonline news report, a joint venture (JV) of China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East (CSCEC ME) and South Korea’s SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C) has been awarded a contract for Package A of Etihad Rail in Abu Dhabi.
CSCEC ME and SK E&C will jointly work on the 139km Package A of Etihad Rail’s 605km Stage 2, which will connect Ruwais with Ghuweifat on the UAE border, with Saudi Arabia.
The scope of work includes design and build, and civil and track works, for Package A, which is valued at $408.4m (AED1.5bn).
Package A’s focus includes the design and construction of rail infrastructure, including earthworks, bridges, tunnels, animal crossings, track-laying, and links to Stage 1 of Etihad Rail.
The 139km route will comprise a standard-gauge double track built from 1.1 million tonnes of ballast, more than 400,000 concrete sleepers, and almost 30,000 tonnes of iron rail.
Package A’s tender award was approved at a board meeting held led by HH Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Etihad Rail.
Etihad Rail’s chief executive officer, Shadi Malak, signed the contract with CSCEC ME’s president and CEO, Yu Tao, and SK E&C’s vice president, Hyuntae Nam.
Commenting on the contract, Sheikh Theyab said: “With the commencement of this first phase of Stage 2, we are reaching a major turning point in the transportation sector in the UAE and GCC.
“Pioneering and innovative, this initial link is just the beginning, as Etihad Rail expands its network to improve all aspects of freight transport across our border and around the region, placing the UAE at the centre of regional goods movement as a global logistics hub.”
Sheikh Theyab also commended Abu Dhabi Government, as well as the UAE’s local and federal government authorities, for their contribution to the 1,200km Etihad Rail.
In a statement, Etihad Rail added that its team was “diligently and efficiently” working to award the remaining contracts for Stage 2, which upon completion will run from Ghuweifat to Fujairah. |
