The Fast consortium has announced that the San’ah tunnel boring machine (TBM) has arrived at Riyadh Metro’s Salah Al-Din Station.
It marks the completion of 1.2km of the 5km it is to drill on Riyad Metro’s Line 5, also known as the Green Line.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The drilled route so far stretches from the Ministry of Education to Salah Al-Din Station, which is located between Orouba Road and King Abdullah Road.
San’ah, which started drilling on 30 June, will continue to Riyadh Airbase Roundabout, where it is expected to arrive in mid-2016.
At the Riyadh Airbase Roundabout it will meet the second TBM, Dhafrah, the first Metro TBM to start drilling in the Riyadh Metro Project.
The Fast consortium, which includes Alstom, Atkins, FCC, Freyssinet Saudi Arabia, Samsung C&T, Setec, Strukton and Typsa, was awarded a $7.8bn contract last year by the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) to build and equip lines 4, 5 and 6 as part of the $22.5bn Riyad Metro project.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataFast is responsible for building three of the six lines of the Riyadh Metro network, which together will span a distance of 72.5km.
The routes, which include Line 4 (Yellow Line), Line 5 (Green Line) and Line 6 (Purple Line), will include underground, ground level and elevated stations.
Upon completion of the project, the consortium will operate 69 driverless trains at speeds of up to 80km/h.
Atkins project director for the Fast consortium Ian Redmayne said: "We are committed to meeting our deadlines and we are proud that both our Metro TBMs have been the first in their achievements; Dhafrah being the first to be launched and San’ah the first to break through in the Riyadh Metro Project."
The 29.6km Line 4 connects King Khalid International Airport Road with King Abdullah Financial City, the 12.9km Line 5 links King Abdullah Road with the Historical Centre, and the 30km Line 6 connects Abdurrahman Bin Awf Road with King Abdullah Financial City.
In May, the first TBM Dhafrah was launched on the Green Line.
Dhafrah is the first of seven that will eventually be put into service for constructing the entire Riyadh Metro system.
The seven TMBs will create tunnels of 35km in length at a depth of 30m.
Dhafrah started boring on the 12.9km tunnel between Riyadh Airbase and King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre.
It is expected to drill at an average rate of 75m to 100m a week.
Image: San’ah TBM arrived at first station on Riyadh Metro Green Line. Photo: courtesy of Arriyadh Development Authority
