MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- Three consortia have qualified to bid for a suburban railway project in Mexico City, the Communications and Transport Ministry said Thursday.
The ministry said in a press release that the winning bid to build the 32-kilometer commuter railway in eastern Mexico City is expected at the end of March, with construction slated to begin in the second quarter of next year.
The railway and related roadworks are expected to require investment in excess of 8 billion pesos ($577 million), the ministry said.
Spain's Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA (CAF), along with Mexican construction firm Empresas ICA (ICA) and the Barcelona Metropolitan Railway formed one consortium.
Another joins Japan's Mitsui & Co. (MITSY), Spain's FCC Construccion (FCC.MC), Mexican interstate bus operator Autobuses de Oriente, Canada's Bombardier (BBD.B.T) and the Madrid Metro operator.
A third consortium includes Indian concern IL & FS Transportation Networks Ltd., Switzerland's Stadler Bussnang AG and the Mexico City Metro system.
The suburban passenger railway is one of three planned for the Mexico City metropolitan area, which covers the Federal District and large parts of neighboring Mexico state.
The first railway in the north of the capital went into operation this year, and a second railway is in the bidding process.
-By Anthony Harrup, Dow Jones Newswires; (5255) 5001 5727, anthony.harrup@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 20, 2008 15:52 ET (20:52 GMT)

Publié le 20 novembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones