Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Metro to be partially opened before end of year: Authorities

Authorities in charge of the development of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Metro project confirmed it will be partially opening before the end of this year, according to several media reports.

The $27 billion Riyadh Metro project is part of the Kingdom’s capital’s expansion plan to turn it into a megatropolis and improve the transportation infrastructure of the city.

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“The sky is the limit for our ambition in Riyadh, and we anticipate doubling of the city’s population to 15 million as well as doubling of the size of the economy with the implementation of more than 18 giant projects, including Riyadh Metro, Al-Diriyah, Qiddiya, Riyadh Art and Green Riyadh,” Fahad Al-Rasheed, president of the Urban20 (U20) and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), was quoted as saying by the Saudi Gazette newspaper following a television appearance.

Local and international companies licensed in the kingdom will be eligible to bid for naming and advertising rights on Riyadh Metro stations. (Supplied)

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Back in January, al-Rasheed spoke to Al Arabiya on the sidelines of the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davo and said the metro project was part of the city’s wider expansion plans to increase public transport percentage from one percent to 20 percent.

Construction on the 176-kilometer metro began in 2014 after contracts were awarded to consortiums headed by US construction giant Bechtel Corp, Spain’s Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas and Italy’s Ansaldo STS, according to Reuters.