Vinci JV wins Qatar rail mega contract

QDVC, a 51% Qatari Diar, 49% Vinci Construction Grands Projets subsidiary, has won the contract for the final phase of the light rail system (LRT) in Lusail, Qatar.

The joint venture worked on the first phases of the LRT, in 2007 and 2011. The final section, which has a design-build contract value of € 2 billion (US$ 2.7 billion), will be built by QDVC in a consortium with Alstom. It comprises construction of 25 stations and a depot, architectural and electro-mechanical works packages and integrated project management. Alstom will deliver 35 trains equipped with catenary-free technology, track-laying, energy supply and telecommunications as well as control systems, for a contract value of € 750 million US$ 1 billion).

The light rail system is scheduled to begin operating in 2018 (yellow line) and 2020 (green, red and purple lines).

QDVC completed civil engineering work on the first phases of the infrastructure (7 km of tunnels, 7 underground and 4 above-ground stations, as well as an access viaduct to the depot) and is currently building the Pearl station, which will connect the Lusail light rail with the Doha metro system, also under construction.

The city of Lusail, a new urban development with a population of 200,000 north of Doha, the capital of Qatar, will welcome up to 450,000 users per day.