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Investment
in Arriyadh
1,000 buses operating by 2016. The bus component also includes
new stations and new streetscapes. Unlike the metro network, the
contracts are awarded for procurement, operations and maintenance.
The bus network component of the public transport project includes
explicit requirements on training Saudis and developing structured
career development path for work on the service. Because of the
relatively smaller degree of infrastructure construction required
the bus network becomes operational in three phases beginning in
August 2015.
The bus network and stops and stations are being designed with
the below objective in mind. Specifically they focus on providing a
flagship, first class public transport system, encouraging passengers
to make use of services, ensuring safety and security and providing
access to all. The numerous lines and different services will also
focus on having the right locations across the city and will also
consider the potential for additional urban enhancements as they
are developed and put into operation. The integrated network will
provide welcoming, comfortable and convenient facilities whether at
bus terminals and stops or within vehicles and above all the network
will have the flexibility to accommodate future change.
A major and essential yet less immediately visible part of the King
Abdulaziz Project for Public Transport in Arriyadh is the plan to
develop a comprehensive traffic management system for the capital
and put in place an institutional and regulatory framework that
will govern the public transport system. In addition the vision is to
ensure from the outset that the project is modelled using the latest in
information technology and communications: it will be an intelligent
transport system that includes automatic fare collection real time
information displays and use of social media for information and
customer feedback. Sophisticated vehicle and passenger monitoring
will provide data that can be mined and utilized to help determine
new routes and offer constant adjustments to existing services. The
project also includes the establishment of the network’s Transport
Control Center as well as a park and ride scheme.
The public transport system will cost more than $20 billion and
the city-wide construction work is inevitably going to cause some
inconvenience and disruption, not least to the very road system it is
going transform. Nevertheless, the ADA is targeting the unacceptable
$21 billion that the current congestions costs Arriyadh every year.
Studies have shown that by 2020, the net monetary value of the
fully-functioning m etro and bus system, adopted by more and more
people who would once have used their cars, will range between $1.2
billion and $1.6 billion a year. Moreover, the research has calculated
that every year between 7,600 and 9,000 new jobs will be created as a
direct result of this world-class public transport network.
To provide power to operate Arriyadh’s public transport network
$300 million is being invested in new electrical generation and power
distribution systems.
What the Transport Project will do for Arriyadh
As the golden thread that runs throughout the capital, the King
Abdulaziz Project for Public Transport in Arriyadh is going to bring
far more benefits than simply allowing people to escape traffic jams
and move swiftly around the city.
Among the results of improved mobility within Arriyadh both
users and non-users of the public transport system will benefit as
parts of the city become more accessible by being cheaper to travel
to, quicker to travel to, and enjoying more routes to them. In addition,
particularly for women and young people, the use of the public
transport network will allow for greater independent travel. The
ability for students to travel independently, conveniently, cheaply,
reliably, in safety and comfort to their educational establishments
will have a considerable positive impact on educational outcomes in
Arriyadh which is already leading the Kingdom in education and
training.
The ADA has made a thoroughgoing study of the less obvious
impacts that will accrue as a result of implementing the project and
operating the system. The headline figures are impressive enough.
Every year until 2019 when much of the new transport network will
be fully completed and running as designed, the increase in terms
of local goods and services (Gross Value Added - GVA) will average
$1.3 billion. It will also create some 32,700 jobs a year from both
direct and indirect opportunities created and as far as possible these
will be provided to Saudi citizens.
The new stations and stops on the bus system are clearly going
to create the growth of retail space around them. The whole
transportation network, including the railcars and buses themselves
will generate a significant income from the sale of advertising space.
Moreover, given the plethora of contracts that are being and will
continue to be let in the coming years, during and after construction,
local businesses will benefit from the competition to win them.
While the ADA has calculated that some 26 percent of new
jobs will be within the diverse portfolio of construction firms, a
significant proportion on the building and fitment work on the
network is being outsourced locally. There will also be local demand
for professionals in finance, business services, information technology
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