Jeddah finalises designs for metro project

29 August 2012

Jeddah metro project will run for a total length of 108 kilometres along three main lines

Saudi Arabia is finalising designs for the estimated $9.3bn metro project in Jeddah, with construction tenders due to be issued shortly.

“Jeddah’s light rail transit system resembling the Dubai Metro involves the construction of a 108-kilometre-long railway track that will run across the city,” said Ibrahim Kutubkhana, the undersecretary of the Jeddah mayor’s office for projects and urban constructions, in a statement issued on 26 August.

The Jeddah metro will have three major lines. The 67km Orange Line will connect Mecca Road with Obhur and will contain 22 stations, in addition to a branch line that will run east along Sari Street.

The 24km Blue Line will contain 17 stations and will link King Abdulaziz International airport to the Old Airport Road. The Green Line will run alongside Palestine Road for 17km. It will also contain a branch line to the old airport at the end of the Haramain Railway, along with seven stations.

Progress with the Jeddah metro project follows approval of metro projects in Riyadh and Mecca in recent months. Four prequalified consortiums are currently preparing bids for the estimated $7bn-8bn Riyadh metro, which will run for a total length of 180km along six main lines. The submission date for the five construction packages is 1 December.

Earlier in August, the Saudi government approved SR62bn ($16.5bn) of funding to overhaul Mecca’s transport network, the centrepiece of which will be the Mecca Mass Rail Transit (MMRT) scheme. The MMRT will have four metro lines with a total length of 182km.

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