Capital Metro Company (CAMCO), the joint venture between RATP Dev (a subsidiary of RATP Group) and SAPTCO (Saudi Public Transport Company), has been awarded the flagship Riyadh Metro Operations and Maintenance contract for Lines 1 and 2 by the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) for a period of 12 years, including mobilisation, it has been announced.
The first metro line – Line 1 or the Blue Line on the Al-Olaya – Al Batha corridor – covers 39km and serves 25 stations. The second line – Line 2 or the Red Line – runs along the King Abdullah Road over a distance of 25km and serves 15 stations.
In a statement, CAMCO said that it would provide a range of O&M services, including Metro Operation, Security, Passenger Assistance, Facility Management, Maintenance of Buildings (stations, Park & Rides, depots etc..) and the complete transit system, including Trains, Signalling, Telecommunication, Power Supply, Passenger Information, among others.
Commenting on the award of the Riyadh Metro O&M contract, Mrs. Catherine Guillouard, Chairwoman and CEO of RATP Group said: “Our Group is delighted and honoured to be awarded these high profile and prestigious projects by ADA, based on the growing confidence we have developed in our working relationship. Saudi Arabia is a key public transport market in the region and Riyadh Metro is a unique and iconic public transport project in the Middle East.”
The O&M contract has been devised based on worldwide best practices, and against global KPIs in urban metro operation and maintenance, namely in the areas of Passenger Services, Facilities Management, Transit System, Health & Safetyand security, as well as Local Content, she added.
As per the terms of the contract set by ADA, there is a minimum Saudization target of 45%, as well as a minimum level of 55% for local content in the areas of supplies and services related to the Riyadh Metro operation, in addition to on-the-ground logistic support.
Furthermore, CAMCO will be required to introduce several types of positions to the local job market for Saudi nationals, both male and female. These include various engineering specialities like Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Telecommunication. In addition, there will be a wide range of vocational positions, such as special technicians and customer service jobs in ticket sales, safety and security, and administration.
The Riyadh Metro is part of the King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport (KAPRTP), which consists of an integrated metro and bus network, to meet the future demands of the Riyadh community. The metro network will be the backbone of the public transit system of the Saudi capital, with six lines covering a total length of 176 km and 85 metro stations.
It will cover most of the densely populated areas, public facilities, as well as the educational, commercial and medical institutions. It will also connect King Khalid International Airport and King Abdullah Financial District, in addition to main universities, the downtown area and the Public Transport Centre.
“The Riyadh Metro will play a key part in the economic development of the capital of Saudi Arabia. It will increase its competitiveness, while improving the lifestyle and mobility of its residents, as set in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030”, stated Laurence Batlle, chief executive officer of RATP Deve.
Batlle added that the division is already working on a long-term strategic partnership with SAPTCO on public transport projects in the Kingdom, including the Riyadh Bus network, which was awarded to their joint venture PTC (Public Transportation Company) in 2014.
He asserted that the Riyadh Metro will benefit from RATP Dev’s extensive expertise and global experience in automated and driverless metro systems and will benefit from RATP Dev and SAPTCO’s unique ability to leverage further integration between the Riyadh Bus and Metro networks.
“We are proud to support ADA’s strategy in this regard, and be given the opportunity to participate in the creation of the new Public Transit Sector recently emerging in Saudi Arabia,” he concluded.