AtkinsRéalis, a major engineering services company, has secured a contract from the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) to provide engineering services and supervision to support the operation and expansion of the Riyadh Metro network as well as oversee the delivery of key road infrastructure development projects across Riyadh.

The deal was inked during the Saudi Arabia-Canada Investment Forum held recently in Jeddah on the sidelines of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to RCRC, the projects form part of its broader strategy to develop an integrated, sustainable transportation system aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, positioning Riyadh among the world’s leading metropolitan cities.

As per the deal, AtkinsRéalis will provide engineering consultancy, construction supervision, project management and technical oversight services for the Riyadh Metro network.

Meanwhile, RCRC said it has achieved a major milestone in the construction of the Riyadh Metro Red Line extension work with the completion of manufacturing and factory acceptance testing of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) that will be used to excavate the underground section linking King Saud University and the Diriyah Gate development.

The TBM will be shipped from China’s Tianjin to Riyadh to kick off the timely excavation of the 7.1-km underground section of the 8.4-km metro extension, reported the Saudi Gazette, citing senior RCRC officials.

The Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine has an 11.16-m-diameter cutterhead and is 105 m long. It is designed to operate in varying geological conditions while maintaining ground stability during excavation, it added.