(Yicai Global) Feb. 28 -- China Railway Group Ltd. will lay tracks and conduct general contracting for the design, supply and construction of electromechanical systems for the Tel Aviv Light Rail link's red line in Israel.

A consortium comprising two of the firm's units, China Railway Tunnel Group Co. and China Railway Electrification Bureau Group Co., won their combined ILS2.5-billion (USD715-million) bid for the three-year government-funded project in the Middle East, their parent said in a statement.

A joint venture between CRTG and Israel's Solel Boneh Building & Infrastructure Ltd. won its bid to build the rail network's 23-kilometer red line for ILS3 billion in May 2015, the first light rail track built by a Chinese company abroad. Construction began in February 2017 and includes six underground stations and a host of tunnels.

The new project involves laying track, providing power supplies, communication links, security systems and an automated fare collection system, as well as operation and maintenance once the plans become a reality in 2021.

The entire Tel Aviv light rail system includes seven routes with a total investment of ILS100. Wang Kun, general manager of China Railway Tunnel Overseas Engineering Co., earlier told People's Daily that the network is a milestone for Chinese contractors as they move from the low-to-mid end of the market to the mid-to-high end.