NTA has launched the pre-qualification process for approximately USD 10 billion worth of contracts covering rolling stock, signalling, railway systems, integration, operations and maintenance for the future Tel Aviv Metro. The trains are planned for fully automated GoA4 operation, without drivers on board.
The Tel Aviv Metro project has entered a new procurement phase with the launch of pre-qualification for the packages that will supply the trains and operational systems for Israel’s largest infrastructure project.
NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd., the government-owned company responsible for developing mass transit infrastructure in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, announced on 25 August the opening of the Infra II pre-qualification process, covering contracts worth approximately USD 10 billion.
The process does not yet represent the award of the contracts themselves. It will determine which international companies and consortia will be eligible to compete in the subsequent tenders for rolling stock, systems and operational services.
Fully automated GoA4 trains
One of the key components of Infra II will be the supply of the metro rolling stock.
According to NTA, the trains are expected to operate at GoA4, the highest level of rail automation, allowing fully automated operation without drivers on board.
The system will incorporate real-time command and control, while signalling, electrification, communications and safety systems will be integrated into a common architecture designed to provide interoperability and network-wide reliability.
The USD 10 billion package extends well beyond the train fleet. It will also cover signalling and train control, electrical and energy infrastructure, underground station equipment and finishing works, as well as overall systems integration.
Operations and maintenance services will also form part of the Infra II procurement programme.
Cybersecurity requirements built into the project
NTA said the technical requirements have been developed together with the relevant Israeli authorities to meet national standards for safety, emergency preparedness and cybersecurity.
The selected companies will also be expected to work with Israeli cybersecurity and information-security specialists to ensure that the future metro meets the country’s critical-infrastructure requirements.
Over the past year, NTA, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance and the Metro Authority have held discussions with dozens of international companies interested in participating in the project.
33 companies competed for the civil works stage
Infra II follows the earlier Infra I pre-qualification process, which focuses primarily on the major civil engineering works.
According to NTA, 20 groups comprising 33 infrastructure companies from around the world submitted bids for packages covering tunnel excavation and station construction.
The civil works tenders are estimated to be worth approximately USD 25 billion.
“The metro is moving into a new phase — from tunnels and stations to the trains and systems that will turn it from an engineering mega-project into a living, working transportation network,” said Yodfat Afek Arazi, Chairwoman of NTA.
She said the new USD 10 billion pre-qualification stage is aimed at attracting leading global transport technology companies to the project.
Three lines and 109 underground stations
The Tel Aviv Metro network is planned as three interconnected lines extending approximately 150 km, with a total of 109 underground stations.
NTA expects the metro to eventually carry more than 600 million passenger journeys per year.
Together with the Tel Aviv metropolitan area’s light rail network, annual passenger volumes across the urban rail system are expected to exceed 800 million journeys.
In its latest announcement, NTA placed the overall value of the Tel Aviv Metro project at approximately USD 60 billion, describing it as the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Israel.
International suppliers targeted
“The metro is one of the most significant and complex infrastructure projects in the world today, and we are seeking the best possible partners to take part,” said Itamar Ben Meir, CEO of NTA.
He added that the project promoters have met with major international companies over the past year as they prepare the next procurement stages.
Israel’s Minister of Transport and Road Safety, Miri Regev, said the strong response to the Infra I phase had demonstrated the international interest in the project.
The launch of Infra II now shifts part of the focus from tunnels and station structures towards the rolling stock, control systems and technologies needed to operate the network.
Once the pre-qualification process is completed, the selected companies will be able to compete for contracts worth approximately USD 10 billion, including the supply of what are planned to become Israel’s first fully automated metro trains.
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