Contract for billion-dollar rail system by September

The initial phase of the project is expected to take between five to six years.

In yesterday’s daily newspapers, the Government placed an advertisement inviting letters of interest (LOI) to design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM) the system, which is now being called "the rapid rail project."

Newsday understands the advertisements will be placed worldwide, as Government seeks to get a DBOM contractor who is "committed to quality; has experience in the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of rail transit systems and who will bring innovative design and building approaches to ensure timely completion."

The advertisement advised proposers, that is, firms, consortiums and joint ventures, that their LOIs should be submitted no later than 1 pm on Carnival Tuesday, February 28, 2006. It also stressed that late submissions of the LOIs will "not be considered under any circumstances."

The advertisement noted that the traffic congestion along the corridors "is an ongoing and ever increasing problem."

Only those proposers sending LOIs by the deadline date will receive qualification forms and instructions, as Government intends to "select one DBOM contractor for the entire project."

The LOIs are to be sent to the US offices of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas, the Indian consulting firm which got the $25 million contract to undertake the National Transportation Study.

Government anticipates that by March 31 this year, the qualification forms and instructions will be issued and responses evaluated to select the potential DBOM contractor.

It noted that the selection process will evaluate the proven experience on similar DBOM contracts, as well as the approach of the DBOM contractor to manage, plan, design, construct, operate, maintain and control the project, delivering a quality product at a reasonable price.

The actual price of the project will be negotiated after selection.

The selected contractor may also have to provide some interim solutions to relieve the current traffic congestion.

A contract is expected to be awarded by the fall of 2006, with an expected design and construction of the initial phase expected to take between five and six years to complete.

This phase will consist of one or more of the segments — Sangre Grande to Arima; Arima to Port-of-Spain; Port-of-Spain to Diego Martin; Port-of-Spain to Chaguanas and Chaguanas to San Fernando as determined by Government and the selected contractor.

The project will be implemented through the National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO).

In the Budget debate in October last year, Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert announced that foreign experts would have arrived in Trinidad and Tobago in November last year to advise on the system.

He pointed out back then that the system was absolutely necessary because this country was over the internationally accepted standard for traffic density.

According to the minister, studies revealed that once traffic density crossed 10,000 persons, a rail-based mass transit system was vital. He said the current traffic density along the Eastern Main Road exceeded 15,000 persons.

In April 2004, Prime Minister Patrick Manning indicated the Government’s confidence of the feasibility of the rail system, saying that the system should be in place and operational by 2010.