Members of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Enquiry Mission on Wednesday paid a visit to the proposed Riyadh Expo 2030 site and were presented with the capital's masterplan for the venue which covers an area of 6 million square meters. Accompanied by Fahd Abdulmohsen Al-Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission of Riyadh City (RCRC) at the KAFD Metro Station, the BIE team was introduced to the efficient, sustainable, and high-tech public transport system, which is at the heart of the city's infrastructure plan. The delegation also got a chance to discuss the significance of Riyadh city's future mobility plans. "We are integrating the Metro in the capital's intracity infrastructure, ensuring its connectivity to the main sites and accommodation hubs within Riyadh, as part of the city's mobility initiatives within the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy," said Al-Rasheed. "Such investments in the capital's infrastructure demonstrate the support of our leadership, and of all government institutions, behind the Riyadh Expo 2030 candidacy", he added. For an exclusive experience of the fast-growing network, the BIE delegation took a ride on Line 4 of the soon-to-be-launched 176-km long Riyadh Metro network, which will serve the future Riyadh Expo 2030 site. During a lunch meeting with Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, and Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, Al Jasser explained to the delegates: "The whole country is undergoing transformation, and the transport and logistics sector has a key role to play. We have already launched five public transit bus networks across the country, and have developed an inter-city bus service network covering 200 cities and governorates. The Kingdom ranks first on the Global Competitive Road Connectivity Index, next to the USA and Spain." Al-Jasser added, "We will increase the Kingdom's air transport capacity to be able to handle 330 million travelers by 2030 while serving 250 destinations. Moreover, road and metro links will directly connect the Expo site to the airport and the rest of the city." In the afternoon, the BIE delegates held a meeting with representatives of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) at its head office in KAFD. They discussed the willingness of the PIF to partner with foreign companies in the areas of construction, cultural programming, events management, etc., to deliver the best-possible World Expo. The Kingdom's ambition is to host the first World Expo to go beyond carbon neutrality and to achieve a net overall positive impact. This was the message delivered by Adel Al-Jubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Envoy for Climate, when he met with the BIE delegation. Al-Jubeir declared that Expo 2030 will contribute to the Saudi Green Initiative and the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy. Everything would be done "to ensure Riyadh Expo 2030 follows the values of environmental protection". The day concluded with a dinner in the company of senior government officials and RCRC leadership at Riyadh Downtown, where the delegation experienced the historic district of Al Daho. — SPA
