RIYADH — A German parliamentary delegation visited various sites of the public transport project in Riyadh to find out on Sunday. The delegation mainly visited some locations of King Abdulaziz Public Transportation Project, overseen by Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), to find out a wide range of benefits offered to the city and its inhabitants by the project. The delegation, which included Johan Vadebol, a member of the German Parliament (Bundestag), Kaddon Andykr, the Middle East-based adviser to the Democratic Party, and Philip Schonbrunn, consultant and economic expert, met with Waleed Al-Akrash, the project manager; and Khalid Al-Hazzani, director of Architectural Projects' Program Department at ADA. The delegation watched a presentation on the project, which is one of the main pillars for urban and economic future of Riyadh city. Following the meeting, the delegation also visited the site of the Red Track Tunnel (Axis of King Abdullah), which intersects with the Blue Track at the Axis of Batha-Olaya Road before the Olaya main station. The ADA has finished drilling work there at a length of 2,000 meters using sequential boring machines for digging deep tunnels. At the conclusion of the visit, Vadebol expressed his pleasure in visiting the project. He praised Riyadh Metro and other promising projects that would "contribute to make a quantum leap in various aspects of life" in Riyadh. "I have seen magnificent work carried out by a highly skilled labor force, driven by their ambition to complete the project according to the set timetable," Vadebol remarked. Meanwhile, Minister of Labor and Social Development Mufrej Al-Haqbani met with Vadebol and his delegation at the ministry's headquarters on Sunday. The meeting was attended by German Ambassador to the Kingdom Boris Ruge. The minister and German delegation explored means of "cooperation to go hand in hand with the ambitious plans of leaders of both countries in order to enhance the level of collaboration", said a press statement issued by the ministry. The meeting addressed a number of topics of common interest as well as opening new avenues for carrying put joint programs between the German side and the ministry and its affiliated agencies. Ziyad Al-Sayegh, deputy minister for international labor, and Dr. Abdullah Abuthnain, deputy minister for planning, development and information, were present as well to review such integration. As many as 2,950 German nationals live and work in the Kingdom.
