Riyadh Metro to ease traffic congestion, says Prince Faisal

The Riyadh Metro project is expected to ease the city’s heavy traffic congestion, Al Eqtisadiah newspaper reported, citing Prince Faisal bin Bandar Riyadh’s governor and chairman of Arriyadh Development Authority’s (ADA).

About 9 million cars are on the streets of Riyadh every day, he added on the sidelines of ADA’s 12th meeting on Wednesday.

The metro’s trial run is scheduled for mid-2018, as the project is already 66 percent finished, Prince Faisal said earlier.

When completed, the metro will span 176 kilometers and include 85 stations. A bus network will complement the project with 24 routes, running 1,083 kilometers and stopping at 776 stations.

In 2013, the rail system contract was awarded at SAR 84.4 billion ($22.5 billion) to three international consortiums.