Abu Dhabi floats tramway tenders

The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT) yesterday floated tenders for the development of the capital's 340km tramway network that will see people commuting on the light rail transit system by 2014.

The system will be developed under the emirate's multi-billion-dirham Surface Transport Master Plan. It was unveiled earlier this year with a network of various modes of transport systems, including mono-rail, metro, buses and waterway transport that will be inter-connected with the tramway.

The plan, according to DoT, has been developed following demographic and other studies, which show that Abu Dhabi city's current population of 900,000 will increase to 3.3 million in 2030, when the entire emirate's population will reach five million. The studies also show the number of tourists visiting the capital will increase from 1.8 million in 2008 to 7.5 million in 2030.

Earlier, DoT unveiled a similar 130km metro network on the entire island city and stretching to nearby islands and the planned Capital City District, Abu Dhabi International Airport and other suburbs.

The department has already floated similar tenders for the Abu Dhabi Metro that will have its first line running in 2015.

"The department has announced an invitation to qualified local and international consulting firms to submit their bids to conduct a detailed study of the Tramway Project in Abu Dhabi," said an official.

"The Abu Dhabi Light Rail Transit (LRT), or Tram Study will form an integral part of the Surface Transport Master Plan, a major initiative taken by the DoT to develop a comprehensive transport infrastructure, including different modes for passengers and freight," the DoT statement added.

"DoT will work closely with the selected consultant to assess the feasibility of tram lines and assess the financial viability for the project, along with models of the initial design of the tram network and stations and vehicle sizes.

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