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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Travel times halve for tolling converts
    August 5, 2013
    The Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver is a prime example of how the latest ITS systems enable new infrastructures to be built and paid for while still providing additional user benefits. Vancouver has 2.2 million inhabitants and, like so many major cities, is divided into two by a river, the Frazer river. This combination makes Vancouver the second most congested city in North America and the most congested in Canada. Through the middle of the city runs the Trans-Canadian Highway 1 which crosses the Frazer Riv
  • Report: Priority funding for rail projects drives investments in Turkey
    January 22, 2015
    Turkish railways have undergone a complete overhaul due to significant investments over the last five years. In the majority of rail projects currently under way, investment is directed towards the construction of new high-speed rail (HSR) lines, electrification, extensions and upgrading of existing infrastructure. With u$18 billion allocated for the rail sector as part of the Turkey Vision 2023 plan, the country is expected to have a total conventional rail network length of 25,940 kilometres and a HSR net
  • New technology can ‘charge a bus during fifteen-second stop’
    June 3, 2013
    Swiss firm ABB has developed technology that it says can charge a full-sized electric bus during ordinary stops, removing the need for overhead lines in major cities. According to ABB, the bus can be charged with a fifteen-second, 400 kilowatt boost at selected stops, which allows for the vehicle to top off its charge while the passengers are loading or leaving the bus, and a three to four minute charge at the end of the bus line will then fully recharge the batteries.
  • Alstom opts for TagMaster RFID systems
    February 18, 2013
    Sweden’s supplier of RFID solutions for rail applications, TagMaster, has been awarded a major new contract by Alstom Transport in France to develop and supply RFID systems to Alstom’s signalling division. Both companies have signed an agreement that will see TagMaster develop a customised version of its heavy duty (HD) RFID reader which, together with HD ID tags, will be used to provide positive train detection functionality as a sub-system in the Alstom Urbalis communications based train control (CBTC) si