SAUDI Arabia has prequalified four consortia to build a new metro system in Riyadh to ease congestion on the capital’s gridlocked streets.

Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the pre-qualified consortia comprised 33 companies from 15 countries and included some of the biggest train manufacturers in the world.

The Saudi cabinet approved plans in April to develop a new public transport network in the city within four years that would include both a metro and a new fleet of buses. Consortia for the bus project are being assessed separately.

One consortium is led by France’s largest-listed construction and concession’s firm Vinci and includes Germany’s Siemens, the state news agency said. A second is led by Canadian firm Bombardier and includes Turkey’s YapiMerkezi, Spain’s ObrasconHuarte, Korea’s GS Engineering and Construction Corp, and Britain’s Serco.

A third consortium is led by Spain’s FS Engineering and Construction. It includes France’s Alstom Transport, Korea’s Samsung C&T Corp. The fourth consortium is led by Austria’s Strabag and includes Italy’s Ansaldo STS, Switzerland’s Stadler Rail, India’s Larsen & Toubro, Britain’s Hyder Consulting and US firm Worley Parsons.