The 40km line, which will have 27 stations and more than 10km of
viaduct, will be built in three phases. Construction will begin this
year on the initial 16km, eight-station section between the airport and
Abu Dhabi Square, which will be completed in 2014. The second phase
will be 8km long, extending the line from the western side of the city
to the city centre, while the third and final 15km section will link
the eastern districts with the central station.

The turnkey
project is being delivered by Alstom, whose share is worth more than
Euros 300 million, and Kazakh partner Almaty Invest Stroï Project
(AIS). Alstom will lay the track and build the depot, and will deliver
signalling, passenger information systems, station equipment, and a
fleet of LRVs. AIS will be responsible for civil engineering, including
stations.

Adapting the LRVs for extreme conditions will be a
priority of the project, and the vehicles will need to cope with a
temperature range of -40°C to +40°C. The LRVs and their main components
will be tested in the Rail Tec Arsenal climatic wind tunnel in Vienna
over a three-month period to validate their performance in extreme
conditions.