Skip to main content

Siemens constructing driverless subway in Riyadh

A consortium of Siemens, US company Bechtel and local construction companies Almabani and Consolidated Contractors Company has been awarded a subway contract worth US$10 billion by the Riyadh High Commission for Urban Development (ArRiyadh Development Authority). Siemens, whose share of the deal is worth around US$2.1 billion, is supplying subway rolling stock, electrification systems and signalling technology for driverless operation, as well as system integration.
October 11, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A consortium of 189 Siemens, US company Bechtel and local construction companies Almabani and Consolidated Contractors Company has been awarded a subway contract worth US$10 billion by the Riyadh High Commission for Urban Development (ArRiyadh Development Authority).

Siemens, whose share of the deal is worth around US$2.1 billion, is supplying subway rolling stock, electrification systems and signalling technology for driverless operation, as well as system integration.

With a population of five million, the city, which previously relied primarily on diesel buses for its urban transit needs, intends the investment in the six-line, 175 kilometre metro as a step towards modernisation of the traffic infrastructure.

The signalling and train control technology ensures that, particularly during rush-hour periods, trains can operate at 90-second intervals, an operating frequency that enables the system to handle 21,000 passengers per hour. The two lines will be equipped with WLAN-based control system for driverless and conductor-less train operation, as well as automatic train control, radio transmission and 31 electronic interlocking systems. Siemens is also equipping the operations control centre for both lines.

Siemens will also supply the power supply systems, emergency power facilities with diesel generators and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). The power supply systems use the electrical energy generated by the trains when the brakes are applied, which is fed back into the metro system's power supply and made available for all other electrical loads.

Siemens will also deliver a total of 74 aluminium metro vehicles, designed to run on standard-gauge track at a top speed of 90 km/h.

Related Content

  • November 10, 2014
    LA metro line to be extended
    The Skanska joint venture with Traylor Brothers, Inc. and J.F. Shea Construction has been awarded a design-build contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to extend the Los Angeles Metro Purple Line.
  • July 22, 2014
    Indra’s railway control technology to be installed on Spanish rail lines
    Indra is to deploy its advanced railway control, security and signalling technology on the high-speed rail lines between Valladolid and Leon and Venta de Baños and Burgos in Spain. The contract, worth more than US$47 million also includes facility maintenance. Indra will deploy the centralised traffic control system on the new line, together with auxiliary detection systems and security sensor concentrators, based on an innovative Indra safety platform. This is the vital processing system that guarantee
  • November 29, 2024
    First three lines of Riyadh Metro to open
    Driverless mass transit system runs 176km in Saudi Arabia's capital
  • July 18, 2017
    Victorian government to implement high capacity signalling on new rail line
    The Victorian government, Australia has awarded CPB Contractors and Bombardier Transportation the contract to deliver the US$790 million (AU$1 billion) Rail Systems Alliance in Melbourne, which includes the roll-out of a 55 kilometre long high capacity signalling (HCS) and communications system. HCS allows trains to safely run closer together, meaning they can run more often. The technology will enable trains every two to three minutes, creating a ‘turn-up-and-go’ train network for Melbourne. The signalling