Riyadh Metro, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Project Detail
Procurement Type: Design & Construct
Owner: High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (HCDA)
Construction Cost: ~ USD 12 billion
Contractor: BACS Consortium (Betchel, Almabani General Contractors, Consolidated Contractors Co & Siemens
NOMA´s client: Gall Zeidler Consultants
Design Period: 2015 - 2016
Construction Period: 2015 - 2017
Project Phase: Detailed Design
The Project
The BACS consortium has been awarded the design and construction of Lines 1 and 2 with a length of 63.3km metro line and 39 stations of the Riyadh metro network in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Much of the north-south line 1 will be underground, while east-west line 2 will be mostly elevated in a road median strip. These two lines form part of the six-line metro system that will run for a total length of 176 kilometres across the city and includes 85 stations.
The works on Lines 1 and 2 encompasses detailed structural, architectural and transit system design together with construction, testing and commissioning works.
Line 1 will stretch from north to south through the centre of Riyadh, along the Olaya-Batha corridor, covering 38 kilometres. The line will include 22 stations and 4 transfer stations where it will connect with other new metro lines. Much of Line 1 will be underground.
Line 2 will run east to west along King Abdullah Road and will be built mostly at grade (15km) with some elevated sections. This line will run east to west and will extend more than 25 kilometres with 13 stations and 3 transfer stations.
The Riyadh area is underlain by a sequence of Jurassic-Cretaceous limestone and anhydrite sedimentary rocks of the Jubaila, Arab, Hith and Sulaiy Formations. Infiltration of meteoric water over time has resulted in the dissolution of the anhydrite layers across the project area, forming limestone breccia. Above these rock formations, Quaternary deposits of variably consolidated and cemented granular materials are common. The distribution, properties and thickness of the alluvium varies considerably but is typically in the range of 1.5m to 15m thickness. Extensive fill is encountered across the project area.
Key Aspects of the Project
- Line 1 (Blue Line) runs in the north-south direction along Olaya and Batha streets, starting from slightly north of King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Street and ending at Al Hayer Road in the south. The Metro will be mostly underground in a tunnel along Olaya and King Faisal Streets, and elevated on a viaduct along Batha Street and at the northern and southern ends. Line 1 extends over a length of approximately 38km (24mi) and features 22 stations, in addition to 4 transfer stations with Lines 2, 3, 5, and 4 & 6.
- Line 2 (Red Line) runs in the east-west direction along King Abdullah Road, between King Saud University and the eastern sub-centre, mostly on a raised strip in the median of a planned freeway. This Line extends over a length of about 25.3km (15.7mi) and features 13 stations, in addition to 3 transfer stations with Lines 1, 5 and 6.
Scope of Works
NOMA Consulting was engaged by Gall Zeidler Consultants to undertake the following aspects of the design:
- Design of the opening support frames and the permanent concrete opening support at the junction between the TBM segmental lining and the adit tunnels
- Category III independent design check for all emergency egress shafts.
