JEDDAH: Come 2022, vehicular traffic flow in Jeddah is expected to get smoother when a metro system becomes operational.
The system will consist of light trains such as trams operating along the Corniche, and the Al-Dawai train. The metro will also be serving the Al-Muntalaq Station, which will also be connected to the Haramain train providing Jeddah residents a seamless route to Makkah.
The project is estimated to cost SR45 billion and is expected to transport 30% of the city’s commuters by 2040. Jeddah’s population, placed at 4.082 million in 2015 in the population estimates of the Central Department of Statistics & Information, is expected to reach 6.2 million by 2033.
Dr. Osama Abda, executive director of the Jeddah Metro Company, told the local media that the first phase of the project will be tendered this year and the rest in 2016.
The French Sistra Company has been nominated for consultation on engineering designs for the project. The company is in the process of reviewing the city’s current and future development plans. Abda said the metro will consist of four lines colored red, blue, green and orange for reference.
The metro will be a stepping-stone for the city’s future development of public transportation, which includes the Corniche tram, light trains along Palestine and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulziz Streets (Al-Tahliya) and fast buses alongside King Fahad and Al-Harra Street.
"The goal of the public transportation project in Jeddah is to provide the best and most suitable types and choices for public transportation, in addition to the easy use of car parks that are connected to public transportation paths on the city's borders, to decrease traffic congestions inside the city and lessen pollution," Abda said.