București metro operator Metrorex has awarded Turkish contractor Alsim Alarko the four-year RON1.2bn (EUR242.5m) design-build contract for the initial section of the future M6 metro line in the Romanian capital. The tender process for this first phase was launched in late 2019, but has been delayed following legal challenges.
The 6.6km (4.1-mile) section will begin at 1 Mai on the north-south M4 line and feature six new stations (Pajura, Expoziției, Piața Montreal, Gara Băneasa, Aeroportul Băneasa and Tokyo). The contract states that the first 12 months will be allocated to design, after which construction would take a further 36 months; finance is to be provided jointly by EU’s Recovery Plan for Europe (RON500m/EUR101m) and the Romanian Government.
The full M6 line will total 14.2km (8.8 miles) and 12 stations using parallel 5.7m-diameter tunnels from 1 Mai to Henri Coandă International Airport in Otopeni. An invitation to tender for the second section – funded primarily through a EUR300m loan from the Bank of Japan – has also been launched. Three contractors, all from Turkey and including Alsim Alarko, are bidding for this design and build contract.
Once complete the line will have capacity to carry 50 000 passengers/hour.