JEDDAH Development Authority has issued a preliminary design consultancy tender for the 35km Blue Line of the planned Jeddah metro, reviving plans for the network which stalled around a decade ago.
According to the Middle East Economic Digest (Meed), the tender was issued in early January, with bidders given until March to submit proposals.
The Blue Line will have 18 stations and serve King Abdulaziz International Airport as well as the Haramain High-Speed Railway station. The line is included in the Jeddah Public Transport Programme that was published in 2013-14 and calls for the construction of four metro lines along with a four-line light rail network and a commuter line.
Systra was appointed to complete preliminary engineering work for the Jeddah metro in 2014, while Aecom was awarded a contract for pre-programme management consultancy services the same year. Foster + Partners was also appointed to design the metro stations in 2015. However, the project stalled as the government changed its spending priorities following the collapse of oil prices in 2014-2016.
According to Jeddah Transport Company, the 161.1km four-line network will be served by a fleet of 197 trains. In addition to the Blue Line, the network will comprise:
- Orange Line – 44.8km: running along Al Madinah Road and Old Makkah Road, with 29 stations including Obhur Bridge
- Green Line – 17 km: running through the city centre, from the downtown area to the Haramain station, with nine stations, and
- Red Line – 59.7km: running from King Abdullah Stadium north to Old Makkah Street through King Abdulaziz Road and King Abdullah Road, with 25 stations.
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