State-of-the-art metro system relieves congestion
Riyadh’s expanding economy has seen rapid urban growth, with a population set to increase from current 6.5 million people to 8.3 million people by 2030, hence making the need to have a public transport system paramount.To mitigate its urban transit problems, the city is currently executing the world’s largest public transit project comprising six metro lines with a total route length of 176 kilometers, as well as 956 buses covering 1,150 kilometers of route length. Three consortia are involved in the metro rail project, including the BACS consortium, led by the U.S.-based Bechtel Company with the local construction companies Almabani and Consolidated Contractors Company, as well as Siemens Mobility.
In October 2013, BACS consortium was awarded the contract by Royal Commission for Riyadh City, which is in charge of building the Riyadh Public Transit System, the first project of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Siemens Mobility delivers a total of 67 metro trains for lines 1 (Blue) and 2 (Red) of the Riyadh metro system as part of a turnkey solution. Both lines combined, have a total route length of 63 kilometers.
Siemens Mobility metros bring mobility to one of the world’s largest metro projects
The 41 four-car and 26 two-car driverless "Riyadh Metro Model" vehicles based on the Inspiro platform are designed with the region's climate in mind. A higher capacity air conditioning system ensures sufficient cooling power to keep passengers comfortable even in extreme heat. Special filters and sealing systems also prevent sand from entering the vehicle components and passenger compartment. In addition, implementation of the Inspiro design solutions ensure optimized energy consumption, low maintenance costs, and high recyclability of the trains at the end of their service life. The trains meet the high fire protection requirements NFPA 130 and EN 45545.Highlights of the metro trains for Riyadh
- Fully automated operation – state-of-the-art automation system for routes and driverless train operation (GoA 4)
- Passenger comfort – passenger compartment (divided into First Class, Family Class and Single Class) is comfortably furnished and offers a comprehensive passenger information system
- Train configuration – the vehicles are either two-car or four-car trains, depending on the capacity required on the lines.
- High passenger safety – thanks to safety systems such as a CCTV system, derailment detectors and fire safety according to NFPA130 and EN45545
