Partnerships Technical Bureau in Kuwait (PTB) has invited companies to submit expression of interest (EoI) to invest in an Integrated Rolling Stock and Systems Company being developed as part of the country's first metro project.

PTB is a government body responsible for all Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) schemes in all sectors in the country from inception until financial closure.

The EoIs being called for the procurement of integrated rolling stock and systems PPP company is in line with the Kuwait’s ambitious and structured Public Private Partnership (PPP) program  in compliance with Law no. 7 of year 2008.

All eligible private sector companies can download the Request for Expression of Interest form from the PTB website http://www.ptb.gov.kw/en/procurement.php

The last date for sending the Expressions of Interest is May 24, said the PTB in its statement.

The IRS company procurement is being done as part of the developement of the overall Kuwait Metropolitan Rapid Transit System Project (KMRT System).

The entire project consists of 69 stations (16 per cent underground) with total length of 160 km. PTB is currently focusing on delivering phase 1 of the project which will include the construction network of roughly 50 km, with 28 new stations, 30 per cent of which will be underground.

The other four phases will be developed and constructed in future stages over the coming years as demand grows, said the PTB statement.

According to PTB, the IRS company will be responsible for the provision and maintenance of a depot, rolling stock and control systems. This procurement is part of phase 1 of the KMRT System which comprises five PPPs and one operations contract.

The Integrated Rolling Stock and Systems PPP (which the IRS Company will enter into) is one of the five PPPs.

The other four PPPs will be for the Design Build Finance and Maintain (DBFM) of four separate infrastructure packages (these will be procured by separately). In addition, an operator contract will be procured separately by the PTB.
 
The objective of the KMRT system is to provide an integrated network that offers mobility to the metropolitan area by operating intermodal transport services on the designated main corridors and the various urban nodes linked to these corridors, in line with “Vision of the State of Kuwait – Kuwait 2035.”

The PTB had earlier appointed a transaction advisory team of Ernst & Young, Ashurst and Atkins to prepare the feasibility study and to  prepare for the procurement stage, including metro infrastructure, control systems, rolling stock, depot and operations.-TradeArabia News Service