RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Bechtel today welcomed the official inauguration of the Riyadh Metro network. As Saudi Arabia’s first underground railway project, the Riyadh Metro is expected to initially serve 1.2 million daily passengers, with ultimately a planned maximum capacity of 3.6 million passengers daily.  

The project was delivered by the BACS consortium, which includes Bechtel, Almabani General Contractors, Consolidated Contractors Company and Siemens. The consortium was responsible for the design, construction, testing, commissioning and integration of the network’s Blue Line (line 1), operational today, and the Red Line (line 2), set to officially commence passenger operations soon.

“The Riyadh Metro will transform travel in Saudi Arabia by offering a more sustainable and efficient mode of transportation for millions of people,” said Darren Mort, President of Bechtel’s Infrastructure business. “As one of the most complex projects that Bechtel has ever undertaken, I am especially proud of our team for overcoming many technical challenges and completing this project with the utmost skill and ingenuity. Bechtel is honored to have played a leading role in delivering this iconic metro network.”

The 85-station, 6-line Riyadh Metro Project is being launched in stages. The Blue Line is one of the first to partially open and will run north to south through Downtown Riyadh. The line will run by several notable stations, including the iconic King Abdullah Financial District Station with its undulating roof, and the STC Olaya Station, located more than 100 feet below ground.

Other key components of the project, include:

• The BACS consortium also built the Red Line which runs east to west. Together, the Blue and Red lines cover 63.1-kilometers of track and 40 stations. 
• Sustainability has been a central feature of the project with renewable energy providing power to some of the stations. It is estimated that the Riyadh Metro will play a pivotal role in increasing the current public transport share in the city from 2% to 18% by 2030.  

Bechtel Chairman and CEO, Brendan Bechtel, reflected on today’s milestone in a new blog on bechtel.com.

Bechtel has worked in Saudi Arabia for more than 80 years developing megaprojects from oil and gas facilities to airports and critical infrastructure. Learn more about the Riyadh Metro Project at bechtel.com.

About Bechtel

Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers’ objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

Bechtel serves the Energy; Infrastructure; Manufacturing & Technology; Mining & Metals; and Nuclear, Security & Environmental markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com

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