Etihad Rail - High Speed Rail: Phase 1: Dubai Civil Works & Stations Package

General Information
Owner Etihad Rail
Masterplan Project (Parent Profile) Etihad Rail – High Speed Rail: Phase 1 – Abu Dhabi
Location Dubai, Emirate of Dubai, UAE
Status --
Sector Transport, Infrastructure, Railway
Contract Type Design Build (DB)
Onshore/Offshore Onshore
Greenfield/Brownfield Greenfield
Progress 0
Estimated Budget Value ---
Contract Value 2533
Net Value $2533m
Award Date February 2026
Completion Date December 2030
Last Updated On February 2026
ProjectId (Old, New) 455301, 455301


Etihad Rail is planning to undertake the construction of a new high-speed rail line connecting Abu Dhabi with Dubai in the UAE.

The 150-kilometre (km) first phase of the HSR will stretch from the Al-Zahiyah area in Abu Dhabi to Al-Jaddaf in Dubai.

The current package includes the Dubai Civil Works & Stations Package.

The US$2,533 million project includes the following:

Dubai Civil Works Package:

1. Remaining early works

2. Temporary and permanent works

3. Construction of tunnels including MEP works

4. TSI compliance for emergency exits (number/distance of cross passages, shafts and ERP)

5. Installation of the tunnel ventilation system

6. Construction of roads

7. Installation of low voltage/medium voltage for MEP lighting systems

8. Installation of fire life safety systems

9. Construction of DLP one main station

10. Construction of one underground station (Jaddaf)

13. Construction of Phase 1C: Abu Dhabi/Dubai border to Al-Jaddaf (52.1km)

Dubai Section:

1. Construction of tunnel 23.7 km (twin bores single track 23.7 km)

2. Construction of two launching shafts for TBM’s

3. Construction of six tunnel ventilation shafts

4. Cut and cover (16.5 km)

5. Construction of U through (3.2 km)

6. Construction of a viaduct (3.3 km)

7. Retaining walls 5.5 km

Station Packages:

1. Construction of an underground station at Al Jaddaf

2. Structures including front and back underground connections to civils

3. Provisions for expandability at some stations

4. MEP works (lighting, power supply, vertical circulation, HVAC)

5. Installation of light cleaning and water tank refilling facilities for trains at the platform at the terminal station

6. Passive provision for PSD’s

7. Installation of fire life safety systems

8. Construction of associated facilities

Second Section

05 February 2026

A consortium of Larsen & Toubro, China Harbour Engineering Company and Wade Adams has been awarded the main contract. Egis and Surbana Jurong are the designers for the L&T-led consortium. (Source: MEED)

03 February 2026

The project management consultancy (PMC) bids have been submitted for the project. The main contract is yet to be awarded. (Source: MEED)

30 January 2026

The project management consultancy (PMC) bids have been submitted for the project. (Source: MEED)

26 January 2026

The consortium comprising L&T, China Harbour, Hilalco, and Wade Adams have emerged as the frontrunners for the project.

06 January 2026

The main contract is expected to be awarded by the last week of January 2026. (Source: MEED)

19 December 2025

The main contract is yet to be awarded on the project.

30 October 2025

The main contract bid has been submitted and the following companies are understood to have submitted the bids: *JV of Limak, Dogus and Ozkar, *JV of NPC, Trojan Tunnelling, Kalyon, and China State, *JV of L&T, China Harbour, Hilalco and Wade Adams, *China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, and *China Railway Engineering Corporation. (Source: MEED)

08 October 2025

The main contract bid submission deadline has been extended from October 15, 2025, to October 29, 2025. The following group formations are formed to bid for the project: Limak / Dogus / Ozkar (Turkiye), NPC / Trojan Tunneling / Kalyon / China State (UAE/UAE/Turkiye/China, L&T / China Harbour / Hilalco / Wade Adams (India/China/local/local), China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (China), China Railway Engineering Corporation (China). Also, Also, Jacobs is the designer for the NPC group. A joint venture of Systra and Aecom is the designer for the WeBuild group. Egis and Surbana Jurong are the designers for the L&T-led consortium. ARX is working with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation as its designer. China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group is working with China Railway Engineering Corporation as its lead designer (Source: MEED)

17 July 2025

The main contract technical and commercial bid submission deadline has been extended to October 15, 2025. (Source: MEED)

22 June 2025

As per the site visit on June 11, piling works are underway.

04 June 2025

The technical bid submission deadline for the main contract tender is on August 12, 2025, and the deadline for submitting the commercial bids is September 1, 2025. (Source: MEED)

20 April 2025

A consortium of Korea National Railway, Korea Railroad Corporation, Hyundai Rotem and Posco has been formed to bid for the project. (Source: MEED)

20 February 2025

The tunnel study works have commenced on the project. (Source: MEED)

18 January 2025

The main contract tender has been issued on January 10, 2025, and the bid submission deadline is on May 7, 2025. (Source: MEED)

07 January 2025

The tender for the design and build contract is expected to be issued by the end of the first quarter of 2025. (Source: MEED)

31 December 2024

Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea), China Harbour Engineering Company (China), consortium of China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group / Agility / China Railway International Group / China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group (China/local/China/China), Dogus Insaat Ve Ticaret (Turkiye), Gulermak (Turkiye), Cengiz Insaat Sanayi Ve Ticaret (Turkiye), consortium of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation / China Railway 11th Bureau Group / China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau / China Railway First Survey and Design Institute (China), consortium of Larsen & Toubro / Wade Adams (India/local), consortium of National Projects & Construction / China State Construction Engineering / Kalyon Insaat Sanayi Ve Ticaret / Trojan (local/China/Turkiye/local), consortium of Power Construction Corporation of China / Shanghai Tunnel Engineering (China), Samsung C&T Corporation (South Korea), consortium of Vinci Construction / Orascom Construction / Archirodon / Bouygues (France/Egypt/Greece/France), consortium of Webuild / Tristar Engineering & Construction (Italy/local) have submitted the prequalification forms. (Source: MEED)

22 December 2024

Prequalification forms were submitted on November 21, 2024, and post-prequalification clarifications are ongoing. (Source: MEED)

10 November 2024

The client has extended the deadline for submission of prequalification forms from November 7, 2024 to the end of November 2024. (Source: MEED)

06 November 2024

The client has extended the deadline for submission of prequalification forms from October 31, 2024, to November 7, 2024. (Source: MEED)

13 October 2024

The client has extended the deadline for submission of prequalification forms from October 17, 2024, to October 31, 2024. (Source: MEED)

10 October 2024

The client has extended the deadline for submission of prequalification forms from October 10, 2024, to October 17, 2024.

22 September 2024

The client has extended the deadline for submission of prequalification forms to October 10, 2024. (Source: MEED)

11 September 2024

Systra has been appointed as the project management consultant. (Source: MEED)

10 September 2024

The client has extended the deadline for submission of prequalification forms to September 11, 2024. (Source: MEED)

09 September 2024

The main contract tender is expected to be issued by September 2024 with an award anticipated by May 2025. (Source: MEED)

27 August 2024

The contractors were forming joint ventures to bid for the design-build contract and the last date for submission of joint-venture confirmation forms was on August 28, 2024. (Source: MEED)

16 July 2024

The request for pre-qualification for the design-build contract was issued on July 10, 2024, and the submission deadline is on July 31, 2024. (Source: MEED)