Saudi Arabia Tuesday launched a tender process to build a new metro system in the capital in an effort to ease congestion on the city's gridlocked roads. The Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) invited international consortia to prequalify for the project, which it wants to be finished in four years. “ADA invites global consortia specialized in the production and supply of rolling stock, control and telecommunications systems as well as metro tunnelling, civil, mechanical and electrical works to prequalify for Riyadh metro project,” it said in a statement. Metro projects typically cost billions of dollars to build. The prequalification notice came with a June 20 deadline. In April, the Saudi Cabinet approved plans to develop a new public transport network in the city within four years that would include both a metro and a new fleet of buses. The project will be overseen by a committee headed by Prince Sattam, Emir of Riyadh region and chairman of ADA. The committee will include the finance and transport ministers. About four-fifths of the network would be underground, including a line running under Al-Olaya Street, media reports said. The first phase will extend from the northern side of the ring road to Al-Olayya and Al-Batha streets up to the southern ring road at the Public Transport terminal. The second phase will involve a 14-km route extending from the eastern side of the ring road across King Abdul Aziz Road up to King Khalid Road in the west. It is expected that the first phase of the project will cover 30 districts. There will be 34 main passenger stations. According to studies carried out by the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), nearly 85 percent of the population of Riyadh uses private cars as their primary mode of transport. Some 8 percent rely on buses while another 5 percent depend on limousines. Only 2 percent of people take advantage of the public transport system, which is only nominal in the largest city in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia has only limited public transport facilities and Riyadh suffers grinding congestion for much of the day and into late evenings. In December the government announced a SR690 riyal ($184 billion) budget for 2012, as it seeks to boost infrastructure, education and health.
