Webuild, a global leader in the design and construction sector, has announced that its consortium - comprising Indian construction conglomerate L&T, Saudi Arabia's Nesma and French rail transport giant Alstom - has secured the contract for the extension of Riyadh Metro’s Red Line network.

As per the contract awarded by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), the Webuild-led consortium will be responsible for the design and construction of an 8.4 km new driverless metro line (of which 1.3km will be on viaduct and the remaining 7.1 km in tunnels). 

The scope of work also includes five stations – three of which are underground, as well as the signaling systems. A Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) will be used for the excavation of the tunnel section. 

The Red Line extension project is part of the Guinness World Records longest driverless Metro Network which was rolled out by RCRC. 

Part of the project scope is to integrate the new section with the whole system of 6 driverless lines launched in Riyadh last December, which covers 176 km and is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the world, said the top Italian engineering and general contractor group. 

The new section in the Saudi metro will add two more metro stations to King Saud University. In addition, it will serve new developments in the city of Riyadh and, in particular, will connect the existing Red Line and the rest of the Metro network with Diriyah, the first Saudi capital and a Unesco World Heritage site, for which a major development project is underway to transform the area into a leading cultural and tourist center for the region, preserving its Najd heritage and architecture.

The Webuild Group has been present in the Saudi Kingdom for a very long time, with the first works initiated in 1966. In Riyadh, the Group is working on several projects, such as a fully underground complex structure housing 10,500 parking spaces for the Diriyah Gate Development Authority.

The other completed projects include the Kingdom Center in Riyadh – which received the 2002 Emporis Skyscraper Award as the world's best designed skyscraper, as well as over 70 healthcare facilities.

A major project by the Italian construction giant was the Shoaiba-3 desalination plant, built by Fisia Italimpianti, the Group's subsidiary specializing in water treatment and desalination.-TradeArabia News Service