Saudi Arabia’s Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) has invited local and international firms with a licence to operate in the kingdom to bid by 25 January 2018 for the naming and advertising rights at 10 of the Riyadh Metro’s 85 stations.

ADA said it expects to name the winners by mid-2018.

The naming and advertising rights for a further 10 stations are expected to be tendered at a later auction, according to London-based news agency Reuters.

The initiative is expected to generate millions of dollars in revenues, which will help cover the metro’s operational costs.

Construction work on the $23bn Riyadh Metro began in 2014 and is expected to be completed before the end of 2019.

The award of the operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts for Riyadh Metro is imminent.

Firms that are understood to have been shortlisted for the Riyadh Metro O&M contracts include:

• RATP Dev (France)
• Keolis (France)
• Ansaldo/ Hitachi (Italy / Japan)

Other bidders include UK’s Serco and Korail (South Korea).

ADA earlier indicated it could award two or three O&M contracts for the metro’s six lines.

Three consortiums headed by US-based Bechtel Corporation, Spain’s Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas and Italy’s Ansaldo STS are building the 176-kilometre Riyadh Metro network.