Riyadh’s new metro project is already transforming the face of the city, and will change how its citizens get around in the Saudi capital. There is no large-scale public transportation system currently in place in the city, and the city’s traffic situation reflects this reality.
A new graphical video released on YouTube by The Business Year shows just how much Saudi Arabia’s capital is on the brink of an “urban transformation.”
In January, tunnel excavation for Line 3 of the under-construction Riyadh Metro – the longest line of the six total being created as part of the project – was completed. Line 3 is also known as the Orange Line and is more than 25 miles long, of which almost 7 miles will be underground.
Two of the rail lines are being designed and built by a Bechtel-led consortium, from design, construction, train cars, and signaling―as well as electrification and integration of the new lines to the rest of the system at a cost of $10 billion.
In addition to rail, a new bus system is being built and implemented simultaneously for the city. The total cost for the entire project is slated to top $23 billion.
The trains for Riyadh’s forthcoming metro project on lines 1 and 2 will have three separate classes of cars for citizens and expats.
