Riyadh Gov. Prince Khaled bin Bandar has announced that the actual field work for the Riyadh Metro will begin within months, a local Arabic daily reported.
The three coalitions for the project committed its implementation on time so that “everyone will see the work on this project within a few months,” the report said.
The project will be called King Abdulaziz Public Transportation Project. MEED had earlier reported that BACS consortium was preparing to tender the subcontracts while documentation was being prepared by the US-based Aecom.
CEO Professor Uwe Krueger said: “Riyadh Metro is a landmark project, which will raise standards of living and support long-term sustainable development throughout the city, acting as a catalyst for further investment in all aspects of the public realm and built environment.”
The firm will be responsible for the design of the $8 billion package being built by the FAST consortium made up of Spanish construction giant FCC, Samsung, Alstom, Strukton and Freyssinet.
It is building lines 4, 5 and 6 and 25 of the 85 stations as well as two depots and seven park and ride facilities.
Atkins said that it will deploy a multidisciplinary team of around 200 specialist staff on the project made up of staff based in Riyadh, the UAE, Bangalore, Hong Kong and the UK.
Samsung, on the other hand, said it has gained extra $250 million of the Riyadh Metro contract, adding that its share of the of the $8.05 billion package of the project is likely to be bigger than it initially envisaged. The company is part of the FAST consortium.
The German engineering giant Siemens, meanwhile, announced that it has won a $2 billion to supply driverless trains, rolling stock, signaling technology and electrification to the Riyadh Metro.
Siemens is part of the Bechtel-led consortium, which won the $10 billion deal to build Lines 1 and 2 of the network, which is the biggest individual package.
Bechtel, Almabani General Contractors and Consolidated Contractors Corp. are working alongside Siemens on the project.
This portion of the work involves just under half (42) of the 85 stations on the $23.5 billion project, including two of the main hubs at Olaya and King Abdullah Financial District.
The firm said that it will deliver 74 of its Inspro-type machines, which are aluminum-bodied trains.
The Riyadh Metro project contracts were established last July on three global alliances with a total value of about $22.5 billion ( about SR84.4 billion) and expected to be completed in five years. It is being funded through the Public Investment Fund.
