By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN & RODOLFO ESTIMO JR. arabnews.com
Riyadh Gov. Prince Khaled bin Bandar, chairman of the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh, unveiled the $22.5 billion Riyadh Metro Project at a grand ceremony late Sunday.
The project was awarded to three foreign-led consortia, which will design and construct the 176-km metro project. The three contractors signed the project package with ADA in the presence of Prince Khaled.
Prince Khaled expressed happiness over the commitment made by the Saudi government led by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to implement the mega public transport project in the capital city. The project, once implemented, will reduce congestion on Riyadh’s roads and in its suburbs.
“The metro project will change the face of Riyadh,” Prince Khaled said. “The metro project has been the dream project of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.”
Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2014.
A presentation of the project’s details was made during the ceremony. A Riyadh Metro animation followed. It explained the physical and technical features of the project. An overview of the Riyadh city model showed components of the public transport network.
Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, deputy governor of Riyadh; ADA President Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-Sultan; American Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Smith; German Ambassador Deiter Walter Haller; and senior Saudi officials, company executives, businessmen and foreign diplomats attended the ceremony.
