Arcadis, a leading global asset design and consultancy firm, has been appointed to develop the architectural vision for a new, comprehensive public transport system in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The appointment comes through its subsidiary Hyder Consulting and as a part of the Foster + Partners team, a statement said.

Based on a long-term, sustainable vision, which anticipates the city’s growth, the plan for Jeddah’s transport network is city-wide and includes the design of metro, ferry, bus and cycle services – as well as public spaces and nodes of commercial development.

The comprehensive plan includes the design of metro stations, high-spec trains and even the branding. In addition, the commercial developments associated with the metro system will create new urban service features for the city of Jeddah at key locations below the elevated track.

“Over the last two years, our railway team has invested time and effort in helping Metro Jeddah Company set up and move this project forward, underlining our commitment to Jeddah and the wider Saudi market,” said Sameer Daoud, infrastructure global business leader of Arcadis in the Middle East.

“This is yet another example of the combined multinational strength and technical expertise of Hyder and Arcadis, which has fortified our position in infrastructure design in the Middle East.”

Designed to reflect the local climate, the masterplan for Jeddah’s transport network draws on the high-density, compact urban model of the ancient quarter of Al Balad, with its mixture of uses and comfortable, walkable shaded streets.

With only 12 per cent of Jeddah’s population currently living within a ten minute walk of public transport it is hoped that the new transport system will increase this to 50 per cent through a process of densification and strategic planning.

The contract with the client, Metro Jeddah Company, was signed by Prince Khaled bin Faisal bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, the governor of Makkah Province.

A substantial proportion of Arcadis’ work on the project will be performed by Hyder in the Middle East and the UK with the support of Arcadis’ station design team. – TradeArabia News Service