Jeddah Metro Company is the creation of Jeddah Municipality, an entity working to implement the Jeddah Public Transportation Programme (JPTP), as part of a brief to undertake integrated transport planning in the Western Province city. Supervised by the Jeddah Development & Urban Regeneration Company, which owns the firm, the programme’s completion date has been set for 2022.

The JPTP is a broad-based plan that encompasses metro and light rail transit systems, bus networks, marine buses, ferries, taxis and supporting infrastructure, as well as the corniche tramway, Al-Muntalaq multi-modal station park-and-ride facilities, and Obhur Creek bridge. However, the heart of the project is the Jeddah Metro.

Tight schedule

Given such a tight timeframe, the company has had to work hard to maintain momentum behind its myriad transport projects – a considerable challenge for the Jeddah Metro Company.

In May 2014, it awarded US-based Aecom a $28m contract to provide pre-programme management consultancy services for the JPTP. Under its 18-month contract, Aecom will provide staff to support the preliminary planning and design work for various phases of the metro project.

The main contracts for the three separate packages of the metro project are due for award in 2016. The metro will feature four lines, with a total of 113 kilometres of elevated double track, 44km of tunnels, 85 stations and five depots. The civil works for each line include:

• Blue Line: 33km of track, with 19 stations, from south of Jeddah up to King Abdulaziz International airport
• Orange Line: 42km-long line connecting North Obhur bridge to Madinah Road, with 30 stations
• Green Line: 16.5km of track from east to west of Jeddah, passing through 12 stations
• Red Line: 58km connecting King Abdullah Stadium to King Road, with 24 stations

The project, which is expected to cost SR45bn ($11.9bn), will provide transport to 30 per cent of Jeddah’s commuters by 2040. France’s Systra has been named the main contractor on engineering designs for the project.

Transport networks

Under Jeddah Metro Company’s transport plan, the rail network, including the metro and light rail transit system, will stretch 149km. The bus network will consist of a bus rapid transit as a feeder system for the metro; these buses will cover 661km, of which 400km will run through residential areas.

The company has had to work hard to maintain momentum behind its myriad transport projects

Ferry services and water taxis will interconnect with other modes of transport. The corniche tram will cover the full length of Jeddah’s waterfront, a total of 16km.

Obhur suspension bridge will be an iconic structure crossing Obhur Creek. Its 2km span will carry metro trains as well as cars, and secondary bridges and approach interchanges will facilitate both road transport and metro services. There will also be park-and-ride facilities arranged across the city.

Light rail

On the light rail transit, there will be three lines. The first goes through Sari Street and is 17km long, with 19 stations. The second line goes from Tahlia Street, and is 11km long with nine stations. The third line goes from Palestine Street and is 9km, passing through 11 stations – in a phase two expansion, it will grow to 37km.

The first phase is due for completion in 2020. In March 2015, a briefing from Jeddah Metro Company revealed that the full estimated budget for the JPTP will be increased significantly to about $35bn. That is a sign of the seriousness of intent in bringing Jeddah’s transport infrastructure up to 21st-century standards.