SAUDI ARABIA: Arriyadh Development Authority has taken delivery of the first Alstom Metropolis trainset for the Riyadh metro.
Alstom is supplying 69 two-car driverless trainsets from its Katowice factory in Poland, with deliveries due to be completed in 2018. The 36 m long trains have a maximum speed of 90 km/h and can handle gradients of up to 6%. Adaptations for the local desert climate include air-conditioning and door seals to prevent sand ingress.
The Metropolis trains will run on lines 4, 5 and 6, which are being built by the FAST consortium under a €5·8bn contract awarded in 2013. Led by FCC, the consortium also includes Samsung C&T, Freyssinet Saudi Arabia, Strukton, Setec and Typsa. Alstom’s share of the contract is €1·2bn and includes the supply of rolling stock, signalling, power supplies and an energy recovery system.
Alstom is one of three rolling stock suppliers for the project. Siemens is supplying 45 four-car trainsets for Line 1 and 29 two-car sets for Line 2, and Bombardier Transportation is supplying 47 two-car sets that will operate on Line 3.
- Read more about the Riyadh metro project in the forthcoming Spring 2017 issue of Metro Report International.
