(MENAFN) Etihad Rail is set to begin working on the second and largest phase of the USD11 billion-worth Etihad Rail Project, as it prepares to begin awarding contracts for that phase, Arabian Business reported.
"With stage two, it's right now with the government. They're reviewing all of the documents as we speak. We're almost there. All the work has been done. I know the contractors have been waiting, but it's a lot of money that the country has got to spend and we have to answer all of the queries by the government," Etihad's Rail acting CEO said.
Despite the tenders for the project being first floated in 2012 and contractors looking to win the work submitted bids more than two years ago, the government's seeking over some clarification over the submitting process has delayed the awarding of these contracts till now.
Etihad Rail also said that phase one, which has now been completed, is a 264km and currently in the testing and commissioning phase, with a capability of transferring 7.2m tons of product, or around 11.000 tons per train.
The second phase will be 628km long and will provide an important link in the GCC network between Saudi Arabia on one border and Oman on the other, as well as providing intercity links between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, as well as the three major UAE ports of Khalifa, Musaffah and Dubai port, while the third phase of the project linking the Northern Emirates will contain 279km of track.
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