Full coverage· Economy· Updated
19 Groups to Compete for Israel's NIS 65 Billion Metro Project
The state-owned public transport authority NTA announced on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, that 19 international consortia have qualified to bid on the civil engineering tenders for the Gush Dan metro project. The tenders, designated as the "Infra 1" phase, are valued at approximately NIS 65 billion and cover the excavation of 75 kilometers of twin tunnels and the construction of 59 underground stations and depots across lines M1, M2, and M3.
7 newsrooms · 2 languages · since
What happened
- 01NTA announced that 19 international consortia comprising 31 companies have qualified for the NIS 65 billion Gush Dan metro civil engineering tenders.
- 02The "Infra 1" tenders cover the excavation of 75 kilometers of twin tunnels and the construction of 59 underground stations.
- 03Major Israeli firms advancing to the bidding stage include Electra, Danya Cebus, Shapir, Ashtrom, and Solel Boneh.
- 04Qualified foreign bidders include infrastructure companies from India, the United States, China, France, South Korea, and Greece.
- 05According to NEWSru Israel, Chinese groups were admitted to the tender process despite pressure from Washington.
- 06The first tender for the metro project is expected to be published in early 2027, with construction starting by 2028 or 2030.
- 07The total cost of the metro project is estimated at NIS 180 billion according to TheMarker, with full operations targeted for 2037.
The qualified consortia comprise 31 companies from Israel, India, the United States, China, France, South Korea, and Greece. Major Israeli infrastructure firms advancing to the bidding stage include Electra, Danya Cebus, Shapir, Ashtrom, and Solel Boneh. According to NEWSru Israel, Chinese groups were admitted to the tender process despite pressure from Washington. Indian companies are also heavily involved, participating in seven different consortia.
The pre-qualification stage was designed to filter out companies unable to handle a project of this scale before financial bids are submitted. The first tender for the undertaking is expected to be published in early 2027. Infrastructure work is scheduled to begin between 2028 and 2030, with the first phase of the metro system aiming to begin operations around 2037.
The overall cost of the massive metro project is estimated at NIS 180 billion, according to TheMarker, while other outlets report a total of NIS 95 billion for the first two tender phases. A separate "Infra 2" tender for metro operating systems and technology is valued at approximately NIS 30 billion.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 6 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Ice. Read Ice’s original
The coverage
7 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- LeftNone
- CentreNone
- Right1
- HarediNone
- ArabNone
- Other6+1
How it broke
PlusHow it reads
Neutral tone, on average across the newsrooms