Six of the best: projects to keep an eye on

Haramain High Speed Railway Project.
[More Images]

3 Haramain High Speed Railway Project
Developer: Saudi Railways Organisation
Description: Five companies were given until the end of January this year to submit their technical proposals for Phase 2 of the Haramain High Speed Railway Project linking Makkah and Medinah. The shortlisted companies were Saudi Binladin Consortium (German); Al Rajhi Consortium (French); Al Shoula Consortium (Spanish); Badr Consortium (Korean) and CSR Consortium (Chinese).

This package covers the construction of tracks, signals, communications infrastructure and the operational control centre. It also includes the procurement and maintenance of trains and maintenance of all infrastructure for 12 years.

In February 2010, Saudi Railways Organisation is due to release tender documents for the construction of stations along the 450 km line. This tender forms part of Phase 1 Package 2; Fosters and Buro Happold has designed the stations.

Phase 1 Package 1, which covers civil works along the 450km route, was awarded to the Al Rajhi Alliance in 2009.

4 South of Shamkha
Developer: Abu Dhabi Centre for Housing and Service Facilities Development
Description: South Shamkha is an AED 10 billion ‘new town’ that will contain around 10,000 villas for nationals as well as parks, retail & entertainment facilities and public services. Spread across a reported 43 km² and located around 50km from Abu Dhabi city, it will house up to 200,000 people.

KEO drew up the project masterplan and Idroesse is the project management company. Ground preparation work at South Shamkha is already underway, with Tristar Contracting and Bin Nawi Contracting known to be involved.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT India is having the second largest network of railways in the world. The British had started these but after Indpendence   1 Comments Read more comments »

Infrastructure tenders are currently in the market and bids are likely to be evaluated before the end of this quarter. Infrastructure work will include the construction of main and internal neighbourhood roads, street lighting and signals, drainage systems, sewage networks and telecommunications infrastructure.

It is still unclear whether Abu Dhabi Centre for Housing and Service Facilities Development will hand over ready-to-build plots to Emirati owners, or will provide finished units.

Although South of Shamkha is the largest single social housing project in the works in the UAE, others are underway and planned. A total of 17,000 houses will be built at more than 20 locations across the country over the next five years.

Next: Saadiyat Island and Pan-UAE Railway