Riyadh Metro

Riyadh Metro
Siemens Inspiro on the Blue and Red Lines.
KAFD Station
Overview
Native name	قطار الرياض
Owner	The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC)
Locale	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Transit type	Rapid Transit
Number of lines	6
Line number	1   2   3   4   5   6
Number of stations	84
Operation
Operation will start	Early 2025
Character	Elevated & Underground
Number of vehicles	586 cars
Train length	2–4 coaches
Technical
System length	176 km (109 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Riyadh Metro (Arabic: قطار الرياض Qiṭār Ar-riyāḍ, pronounced [gɪˈtˤaːr ərːɪˈjaːðˤ]) is a rapid transit system under construction in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia. It is part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport and will consist of six metro lines spanning a total length of 176 kilometres (109 mi), with 84 stations. The project will cost $22.5 billion to build.^[1] According to the Saudi minister of transport, Riyadh Metro is expected to open to passengers in 2024.^[2] However, it was later postponed to early 2025. ^[3]

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

In June 2013, a shortlist of three major global consortia was chosen to build the metro.^[4] Contracts were awarded in July 2013, with construction planned to start in 2014 and take 4 years.^[5] The groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated on April 4, 2014.^[6] It is currently being built by construction companies including Bechtel, Almabani General Contractors, Consolidated Contractors Company, Strukton, Webuild, Larsen & Toubro, Samsung and Nesma.^[7]

BACS: Bechtel / Almabani / CCC / Siemens

ANM: (Arriyadh New Mobility): Webuild (at the time of signature, Impregilo, then Salini-Impregilo) / Bombardier / Ansaldo / Larsen & Toubro / Nesma & Partners / WorleyParsons

FAST: FCC / Atkins / Alstom / Samsung / Strukton / TYPSA (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.^[8] 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.^[9]

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.^[10] 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.^[11] In December 2021, it was announced that more than 90% of the project had been completed, with testing well underway.^[12]

In March 2023, opening was planned for late 2023.^[13]

Riyadh Metro network map

Riyadh Metro includes six lines, each of which is assigned a unique color. The following table provides information about the Riyadh Metro Lines:

The project was originally led by Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,^[8] former governor of Riyadh and chairman of the Riyadh Development Authority, and is now led by Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud, the current governor of Riyadh.

The transit system is planned to have 84 train stations,^[14] including a number of interchange stations. Naming rights for 15 out of the 84 stations are planned to be awarded by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. These rights include space for shops and advertising within the stations.^[15]

The vehicles and stations are monitored by cameras, early warning systems, and communication systems that are directly connected to the main control center. The main stations are characterized by monorail sites designed in several levels. These sites will be air-conditioned taking into account the comfort and safety of passengers. The stations will also use solar cells technology to save about 20% of the power required for air-conditioning and lightning.^[16]

The KAFD station covers an area of 8,150 m² (87,700 sq ft). The station is located at the east of the Northern Ring Road. It connects metro lines 1, 4, 6, and the KAFD's monorail. The station is designed by Zaha Hadid Architects from the UK.^[16]

National Museum Station is the 2nd largest and one of the most iconic stations on the Riyadh Metro, 1 of 4 Transfer stations on Line 1, National Museum Station is where Line 1 and Line 5 meet. The station is located in the Al Batha area of Riyadh. The gross floor area (GFA) of the station itself is about 72'000 m². The Station's external envelope is designed to replicate Saudi Arabia' mountainous region, with a unique double skin facade, internal blue panels replicating the sky and external concrete panels through which the blue can be seen, to represent the mountains, the station is unique in that it also has a new bus terminal adjacent, the design of which is to replicate a Bedouin tent.

Olaya metro station is one of the three main transportation stations in the Riyadh Metro. Gerber Architekten won the competition for the metro station in 2012. Construction started in 2014 and planned to be completed in 2019. This station will allow access for Line 1 and Line 2 trains. The gross floor area (GFA) is about 97,000 m² (1,040,000 sq ft). It is located on the intersection of King Abdullah Road with King Fahad Road and Olaya Street. Its design proposes the idea of Public gardens that extend over the entire area of the station. Metro customers are invited to use the public gardens. The gardens are characterized by palm trees erected on top of the station, designated picnic areas, and WiFi coverage. Stairs, lifts, and escalators connect all the levels allowing access to everyone including people with special needs. There is also a public parking located underneath the plaza. Recently the initial plan has been changed and no longer features gardens of the roof and is now rectangular in shape though it still has all the other features. In 2018 the station was named STC station.^[17]

The station covers an area of 12,500 m² (135,000 sq ft). The station is located on the land currently used for the Central Vegetable Market of Al-Suwaidi Al-Gharbi. The station will be composed of a bus route and a link to Line 3. Omrania & Associates has won the competition to design the western metro station.^[16][18]

This station covers an area of 19,600 m² (211,000 sq ft) and will connect Line 1 and Line 3 trains. Snøhetta from Norway had won the competition to design the Qasr Al-Hukm Metro Station.^[16]

• Siemens is supplying 45 4-car Inspiro trainsets for Line 1 and 29 2-car sets for Line 2.^[19] The first was unveiled in Vienna on 23 February 2016.^[19]
• Bombardier (later Alstom) will deliver 47 two-car Innovia Metro 300 trainsets for Line 3.^[20]
• Alstom will deliver 69 Metropolis train sets for line 4, 5 and 6 of the Riyadh Metro.^[21][22] The first trainset was handed over to the ADA in March 2017. Each trainset is 36 meters long and can accommodate a maximum of 231 passengers. Trains are split into three classes – first, family, and single class – separated by glass partitions.^[14]

In 2017, prince Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud was arrested as part of the 2017 Saudi Arabian purge. Part of the allegations against him, was that he, as Riyadh Governor, had awarded contracts for the Riyadh Metro to his own companies.^[24]

• Riyadh Bus
• Transport in Saudi Arabia
• Jeddah Metro
• Madinah Metro
• Makkah Metro
• Haramain High Speed Rail Project

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Riyadh Metro.

• Riyadh Metro page on the Royal Commission for Riyadh City Website