RIYADH — The Arriyadh Development Authority has laid down a comprehensive scheme for public transport in Riyadh that is in line with the capital city's urban development and future expansion plans. The future public transport system will serve densely populated areas based on their distribution in the city and is the result of analyses of traffic simulation models developed by the authority since 1987. A booklet, issued by the authority, explains how the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project in Riyadh will be implemented. The plan is based on a study of the source of trips made in the city, their aims and the volume of traffic movement on the roads and streets of the capital. In light of this, the public transport routes in the city will serve congested areas around universities, schools, hospitals, job centers, commercial areas and malls. The plan recommended an integrated public transport strategy covering most parts of Riyadh to reduce traffic on thoroughfares. The proposed network includes a metro system having six routes that are 176 km long in total with 85 stations and a bus network including 24 routes that are 1,083 km long in total with 776 stations. The Riyadh metro project has six routes, one running from Al-Olayya to Al-Batha; another running along King Abdullah Road that is 25.3 km long; a third that is 40.7 km long and runs from Madinah Road to Prince Saad Bin Abdulrahman I Road; a fourth that runs along King Khaled International Airport Road and is 29.6 km long; a fifth route that includes King Abdulaziz Road and is 12.9 km long; and a sixth that is 30 km long and runs from Abdulrahman Bin Awf Road to Sheikh Hassan Bin Hussein Bin Ali Road. The authority said the metro network was designed with the latest technology. An automated system has been designed to operate the train without a driver. The network will be operated from a central control room.
