Spanish group Isolux Corsan said its joint venture with Turkish group Kolin Insaat Turizm Sanayi ve Ticaret and Saudi Arabian company Haif has been named preferred bidder for the €2.3-billion ($2.59 billion) contract for the construction of lines B and C of the Makkah Metro.

The scope of the contract includes tunnelling as well as the execution of stations and interchange stations and associated works, said Isolux Corsan.

Official negotiations have been started with the joint venture and it is expected that the contract will be signed in the coming months. 

The 11.9-km Line B section of the contract involves the construction of three stations, while the 13-km-long Line C section will involve the execution of six stations besides the completion of two big interchanges stations, said the Spanish company.

The scope of the contract includes the construction of stations and interchange stations with their civil works, access ramps, grand roofs and canopies, and tunnels, it said.

The tunnels are divided in the various sections according to different construction methods: 19,616 m of mined tunnels, 8,740 m of tunnels using tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and 4,105 m of cut-and-cover tunnels. The project also involves the execution of more than 1,175 m of viaducts and big pedestrian underpasses (see also Turkey).