Line 4-5-6 of the Riyadh metro
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Merit Award, Rail/Traffic
Presented by FCC construction
Owner: Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh
Main design company: AtkinsRéalis & Typsa JV
Contractor: FCC construction
Building a massive passenger rail network for Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, was a complex effort to provide a comprehensive public transportation system. The 4-5-6 lines of the system include 29 stations on more than 70 km of track, with 24 viaducts, 28 underground tracks and 13 surface tracks.
The project involved several firsts for construction in Saudi Arabia, including the largest TBM ever used in the kingdom and the first application of the full span launch method for railway viaducts. Project coordination required a multilingual approach to manage a workforce of over 9,500 workers from 42 different countries.
The scope of the project was expanded while it was already underway, including the addition of stations for a park and ride facility, a science park and two new railway stops at King Khalid International Airport. Despite the expanded and changing scope, the project team was able to avoid delays in other elements of the project already underway.
There were also the logistical challenges of working in a desert environment, with 2.18 million cubic meters of concrete poured during the project in ambient temperatures that often exceeded 45 °C (113 °F).
Riyadh Metro’s driverless trains are fully automated and the metro is expected to reduce traffic congestion and boost economic development in Riyadh.
