NTA announced that 20 groups comprising 33 companies from 8 countries applied to take part in prequalification for the Infra 1 tenders, the first stage of heavy civil works on the Gush Dan metro.
The breakdown: 11 companies from Israel, 9 from India, 6 from China, 5 from Europe and 2 from the US. Interest was higher than expected, which the Transport Ministry and NTA read as a sign that major international contractors are still willing to work in Israel despite a complex security and political climate.
The Infra 1 tenders are valued at about NIS 65 billion and split into 11 work packages. They cover tunnel boring, underground stations and the structures linking the street to the stations, spanning the central section of M1, all of M2 and more than half of M3, about 78 km of twin tunnels and 59 stations. Around 20 tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be needed.
Groups that pass prequalification will be invited to bid in the construction tenders, which NTA expects to publish by the end of 2026.