Riyadh: The curtain rises on the dream metro

For many international observers, it’s the right time to visit the Arabian Penisula: to admire Sindalah Island, one of the works connected to the megaproject of the futuristic city of Neom; to follow the progress made in the redevelopment process of Diriyadh, protected by UNESCO and the historical seat of the Saudi royal family; but also the Line 3 of the new Riyadh metro network, the world’s unique, modern, sustainable, and extensive infrastructure that allows travel throughout the Saudi capital.

The Line, also known as Orange Line, built by the Arriyadh New Mobility consortium, of which Webuild Group is a part, is a section of a 176-kilometer-long urban transport network, one of the most ambitious projects globally designed to reduce congestion and promote the transition to sustainable mobility. According to calculations by the Riyadh Development Authority, from here to 2030 without targeted interventions to reduce traffic, the average vehicle speed through the streets of the Saudi capital would decrease from the current 45 to 18 km/h. Therefore this data confirms the need to limit the number of surface vehicles, a result that can only be achieved by increasing rail transport.

Thus was born the Riyadh Metro, the mega-project to which international star architects have also contributed, such as the studio Zaha Hadid Architects, which designed the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station, where a series of pedestrian bridges connect the station to the 61 skyscrapers of the city’s financial district.

The King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station is just one of the 85 stations that make up the backbone of the new metro network in the Saudi capital. Through them, 3.6 million passengers will transit daily (this is the daily capacity of metro trains), who have the opportunity to use six different lines, each designed to serve a specific area of ​​the city. Due to its characteristics, the work aims to meet almost all urban mobility needs. The lines traverse the most populous and congested areas of the metropolis, connecting King Khalid International Airport with the King Abdullah Financial District, as well as Universities, logistics hubs, and the Downtown area of Riyadh.

Overall, a project worth over $22 billion aimed at addressing mobility demand while creating beautiful, sustainable infrastructure that represents the Saudi historical and cultural heritage.

The designs of many stations have been developed drawing inspiration from the country’s culture and tradition, with styles that evoke dominant landscapes of the region, such as the desert, palm oases, wind-smoothed dunes, integrated with the most innovative technologies. Just to give an example, the trains traveling on the metro tracks are all driverless, operated from a futuristic control room.

The Orange Line is also the longest in the entire network. With its 41.6 kilometers, it represents a strategic axis for the new Riyadh Metro, touching some of the most significant areas of the metropolis. The route first runs on the surface in the western part of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah Road and then, continuing eastward, becomes underground in the area of Prince Saad bin Abdulrahman Road. The line is served by 22 stations with two maintenance depots. Overall, a truly complex work that confirms the historic relationship developed by Webuild, present in the country since 1966.

In addition to the construction of iconic infrastructure such as the Kingdom Tower, one of Riyadh‘s symbols, the Group is working on the most modern projects launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the latest of which is the construction of three dams that will feed a freshwater lake in the locality of Trojena, chosen to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.