مترو الرياض

The Riyadh Metro 

is a rapid transit system under construction in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. It will consist of six metro lines spanning a total length of 176 kilometers, with 85 stations. The project will cost $22.5 billion to build. It was scheduled for a light opening in 2019, with the full network expected to be operational in 2021.This was subsequently changed to a soft opening in mid-2020 with the full network open by the end of the same year. As of April 2021 the first line is expected to open in mid-2021.

This will be the second metro system in Saudi Arabia, after the Mecca Metro, which opened in November 2010, fourth on the Arabian Peninsula, sixth in the Arab World, and fifteenth in the Middle East.

History

Estimates suggest that Riyadh's population will grow from about 6 million to more than 8.5 million over the next 10 years.^{[when?][citation needed]} In June 2013, a shortlist of three major global consortia was chosen to build the metro. Contracts were awarded in July 2013, with construction planned to start in 2014 and take 4 years.The groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated on April 4, 2014, with an opening now projected for 2019. It is currently being built by construction companies including Bechtel, Almabani General Contractors, Consolidated Contractors Company, Strukton, Salini Impregilo, Larsen and Toubro, Samsung and Nesma.

Consortiums

BACS: Bechtel + Almabani + CCC + Siemens

ANM (Arriyadh New Mobility): Bombardier + Ansaldo + Larsen and Toubro + WorleyParsons

FAST: FCC construction + Strukton + Atkins + Alstom Transport + Samsung + Tecnica Y Proyectos

The new project is expected to be the centerpiece of the city's public transport system, integrated with an 85-kilometre (53 mi) three-line bus rapid transit (BRT) network.The project will contribute to reducing the number of car trips by nearly 250 thousand trips a day, equivalent to 400 thousand liters of fuel per day, thus reducing the air pollutant emissions in the city. It is expected that the capacity of the project will reach 3.6 million passengers a day.

In February 2018, Riyadh governor, Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, stated that 68% of the project has been finished and that the metro will go Demo Run in late September 2018. In March 2018, the Saudi economy minister Mohammad Al Tuwaijri commented at the Saudi-UK CIO Forum in London that a soft opening is planned for 2019 (June–August) and the full availability of the system is expected in 2021.