Faisal bin Bandar chairs 10th meeting of Supervisory Committee for King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project
On March 23, 2016, HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, Chairman of High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh and Chairman of Supervisory Committee for King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project (Metro & Busses), chaired the 10th meeting of the Committee in the presence of HE Abdullatif bin Abdulmalik Al Shaikh, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, HE Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance, and HE Engr. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Muqbil Minister of Transport.
HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar said that with generous support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the project works go ahead as planned, with about 30% of work now complete.
HRH also referred that the Committee has discussed the results of prequalification of metro operators, assuring that the offers will be studied thoroughly prior to awarding. Additionally, HRH noted that Riyadh Metro Project has gone beyond the foundation phase, and we are now discussing the operation/maintenance phase.
”We appreciate the citizens’ cooperation, support and endurance in difficulties arising from the project works,” HRH added, confirming that the project will provide employment opportunities for national cadres as part of a comprehensive Saudization strategy of the metropolitan public transport sector.
According to HE Engr. Ibrahim Al-Sultan, member of the High Commission for Development of Arriyadh and President of Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), gathering discussed the project’s ongoing works at over 184 locations along both metro and bus networks.
The meeting agreed to launch operation and maintenance contracts of the project to the qualified coalitions and companies, with a work scope divided into four main areas:
- Pre-operation preparations
- Metro’s operation, stations’ management and passenger service
- Maintenance of metro and control systems
- Maintenance of the installations and facilities’ management
The gathering was also briefed on the alternatives of King Saud University internal transport system, and suggested ways of linking it to the public transport network in Riyadh. The meeting agenda also included exploration of the strategy for achieving the targeted social and economic benefits of King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport (Metro & Buses).