The Bahrain metro project is a 109km-long urban metro transit system proposed to be developed in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (MTT) is responsible for the management of the project.
The metro will provide improved connectivity to residential, commercial, administration, and leisure areas. It will be developed in a phased manner under the public private partnership model, with an estimated investment of $2bn. The construction of the first phase of the project was approved by the Government of Bahrain in October 2021.
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A two-stage international competitive bidding process for the project is expected to commence with the request for qualification (RFQ) in November 2021. The selected private consortium will be awarded a 35-year contract to design, build, finance, operate, maintain, and transfer (DBFOMT) the project.
A tender was issued for conducting a feasibility study for extending the Bahrain metro from King Hamad Railway Station in Alramli to the new Sports City and the International Exhibition Centre in Sakhir in February 2021.
Bahrain metro project details
Bahrain metro will be an elevated urban transit system that will comply with international standards and use conventional steel rail systems. It will include a fully automated, driverless Grade 4 automation (GoA4) system with a capacity of more than 43,000 passengers an hour.
It will initially serve approximately 5,000 passengers an hour per direction, which is expected to increase to 23,000 passengers an hour per direction.
The metro trains that will operate on the Bahrain metro network will be driven by electric power.
The first phase will involve the development of a 28.6km-long section with 20 stations, including two interchanges. Phase 1A will have a length of 8km and feature four stations.
Lines and routes
Bahrain Metro will include a total of four lines, of which the first two lines, Red and Blue, will be built in the first phase.
The Red Line will begin at Bahrain International Airport and end at the suburban Seef District, passing through the Bahrain Financial Harbour. The Blue Line will link the Juffair suburb and Isa Town, via the Diplomatic or Educational Area within the central business district of Manama.
The Red Line will include nine stations, while the Blue Line will include 11 stations. The interconnection points for the two lines will be at the Bab al Bahrain and the al Farooq Junction stations.
The metro will be connected to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) railway via the King Hamad International Terminal in the Al-Ramli region.
A depot/stabling facility will be built in Isa Town, as part of the project.
Contractors involved in Bahrain metro
A consortium comprising KPMG, DLA Piper, and Egis was selected to support MTT in the procurement process for the project. KPMG is the consortium leader and provides financial advisory services for the project, while DLA Piper was appointed as the legal advisor. Egis is the technical consultant for the project.
Egis will revise all the previously completed project studies, identify risks, and provide recommendations to the winning private company in the bidding process.
Multi-national consulting and engineering company IDOM was engaged in the design of the first phase of the project. It also prepared the feasibility study for the project.
