SAUDI Arabia has started work on an ambitious light-rail project exclusively for its capital Riyadh, where 36 stations will be built in the first phase.

This project is aimed at reducing congestion in a city where 87 per cent of the population uses private cars as the primary mode of transport.

“This Light Transit Railway (LTR) for the capital city will come under the jurisdiction of Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA),” Mohammed Abu-zaid, spokesman for the Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO), said.

Abuzaid also revealed that under a contract signed with SRO, Spanish company CAF will sell eight train cars at a cost of SR612 million ($163.17 million) within 36 months from now, and also manage a four-year maintenance project for the organisation.

An ADA source said the final preparations to implement the project have already been made.
“The construction work has started on the two railway routes of the city,” said the source, adding that 23 stations will be built on the first route and 13 on the second.

The frequency of the services will be higher during peak hours.

The first phase will involve the construction of a 25 km north-south route. It will extend from the northern side of the ring road to Olaya and Batha streets up to the southern ring road.

The second phase will involve a 14 km route extending from the eastern side of the ring road across King Abdulaziz Road up to King Khaled Road in the west. It is expected that the first phase of the project will cover 30 districts of the city.

Distances between stations will be 600 m in highly-populated areas and 1,100 m to 2,000 m in less populated areas.
The rail system is expected to serve 1,500 passengers per hour per track initially and then up to 8,000 passengers per hour.