With Saudi Arabia and Bahrain planning to build a new road and rail causeway linking the two countries, expressions of interest (EoI) have been invited from the private sector developers, co-investors, contractors and lenders for the construction of the new project worth approximately US$5bn
The EoIs were invited at an industry consultation event in Manama, Bahrain, which was attended by the government officials from transportation ministries of the two countries and several contractors. The new project is called King Hamad Causeway. Reuters reported that more than 150 companies participated at the meeting in Manama, aiming to take part in the mega project, which is going to be built on a public private partnership (PPP) model.
The new causeway will be built with an aim to reduce the traffic congestion on the existing 25km King Fahd Causeway, which faced an average daily traffic of 31,000 passengers in 2016.
According to the reports, the average daily traffic in the King Fahd Causeway is expected to double by 2030.
The construction of the new project will include a four-lane road causeway running parallel to the King Fahd Causeway. Also, a new 70km railway track will be constructed, which will connect a passenger terminal in Salmabad and freight facilities at Khalifa bin Salman Port in Bahrain with Saudi Arabia?s railway system.
The railway link project, which is planned to be developed under a design, build, transfer, or design, build, maintain and transfer basis, is expected to be used by around eight million passengers per year by 2050.
In addition, around 600,000 containers and 13mn tonnes of bulk freight are supposed to be transported by the railway between the two countries.
The project document stated that interested contractors, co-investors, lenders and developers need to submit the EoIs by 29 June 2017.
