Jeddawis want early completion of metro

Jeddah residents have called on the government to complete the metro project as early as possible to give them relief from the heavy congestion on the city's roads.
The project approved by the Council of Ministers recently is expected to reduce the number of cars on the city's roads by 80 percent.
“I wish with all my heart to see this massive national project materialize in the near future because it will bring relief to the people who cannot afford to have cars of their own,” Hussein Al-Balushi, a Jeddah resident, told Arab News.
Director General of Transport in Makkah Province Muhammad Madani said the three-line metro project would be ready for passengers by 2018.
Madani said the Jeddah Municipality is responsible for monitoring implementation of the metro project, while the Ministry of Transport would oversee it. He said the project is still in the planning and design stage. However, it would be completed in a short period because it has a budget of SR105 million.
He said the metro would have three lines marked orange, blue and green. The project also includes a corniche coach and tram lines, suburban trains and a huge network of bus services.
Buses would be deployed on specific routes supported by feeder buses and a suburban bus service. Another feature of the project is the construction of a hanging bridge to connect the north and south of Obhur running above Sharam Obhur. The Obhur bridge would be one of the largest in the world.
The station at the starting point would house the main metro office, commercial centers, hotel, medical center, educational amusement center, bus and taxi stands. Expert engineering consultancy companies would update the general plan for the mass transport network in Jeddah, to connect all lead projects in the city, he said.