Foster + Partners to develop Jeddah metro design vision

SAUDI ARABIA: Foster + Partners is to develop the architectural vision for Jeddah’s city-wide public transport master plan under a contract signed by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Governor of Makkah Province, on March 30. The scope of the contract includes the design of the stations, trains and branding for the planned three-line metro network.

In 2013 the Council of Ministers approved a 45bn riyal transport plan for Jeddah, which includes metro, ferry, bus and cycle networks, along with public spaces and ‘nodes of development’. Foster + Partners says the aim is to take a long-term, sustainable approach, which takes into account the local climate and ‘anticipates growth centuries from now’.

One aim is to increase the percentage of Jeddah’s population living within a 10 min walk of transport nodes from 12% to 50%, through a process of densification and strategic planning. Planning will draw on the high-density, compact urban model of the old quarter of Al Balad, with its mixture of uses and walkable shaded streets. New urban amenities are planned at key locations below the elevated metro tracks, and each station will create ‘a new neighbourhood, with a unique character, and together these will create a diverse and vibrant city.’

In May 2014 Jeddah Metro Co awarded Aecom Technology Corp an 18-month contract worth US$28m to provide consultancy services to support the preliminary planning and design phase of the master plan. In July 2014 Systra was awarded a 276m riyal, 20-month contract to provide preliminary designs for the metro.