Bahrain’s government has said it will look to attract bids from leading construction firms for the construction of its metro railway project in the fourth quarter of 2019.

According to a report by Al Ayam newspaper, an Arabic-language Bahrain-based daily, a transport ministry official said that the megaproject is estimated to cost between $1 billion and $2 billion and will built with private participation.

Intended to be a part of Bahrain’s Public Transport Masterplan 2030, the metro railway project will have 184km of transit network, comprising of six lines. These will be implemented in a phased manner by 2030, a report in Gulf Daily News said.

Phase One will have 30km of elevated track and 20 stations, which is likely to include an airport station, the report added. 43,000 passengers per hour is likely to be the carrying capacity.

In May 2018, Kamal Ahmed, Bahrain’s Transportation and Telecommunications Minister, said that the country’s light rail project would reach a key stage when a tender is issued for a transaction adviser for the project, in the second half of the year.