Car-centric KSA to open first part of Riyadh Metro

RIYADH:

Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday it is ready to open the first part of the Riyadh Metro, a major project intended to help shift the car-centric kingdom to public transport.

Three lines will open to the public on December 1, "with gradual launches completing the six-line, 176-kilometre (109 mile) network across the city," the Royal Commission for Riyadh City said in a statement.

"The network has been developed to transport over 3.6 million passengers at maximum capacity and operates on a fully automated (driverless) metro system," the statement said.

Services will be provided by 183 trains with 448 carriages manufactured by Siemens of Germany, Bombardier of Canada and Alstom of France, the statement said, adding that they feature "a modern and unified design" by French firm Avant Premiere.

The official Saudi Press Agency published a photograph of King Salman, who served as governor of Riyadh for nearly half a century, formally declaring that the project -- billed as "the backbone of the capital's public transportation network" -- had been inaugurated.

Riyadh, a fast-growing city of around eight million people, has become a laboratory for various signature projects under the Vision 2030 reform agenda of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman's son and the de facto ruler.