SAUDI ARABIA has approved a SR62-billion ($16.5 billion) plan to modernise the transport system in its holy city of Makkah, including building a bus network and metro system, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

More than six million visitors from across the world visit Makkah every year for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. The influx has strained the narrow roads and outdated transport system.

Four metro lines of a total length of 182 km will be built across the city, with 88 stations, the SPA reported.
Construction for the transport project will be carried out over about 10 years, the report said.

Last year, the city’s mayor said that within six years the government hoped to build new roads and footbridges near the Grand Mosque.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is preparing plans to build a metro system in its second largest city Jeddah, a project that is expected cost around SR35 billion ($9.3 billion). The 108-km metro system will have three lines and 46 stations, according to initial studies, said Ibrahim Kutubkhana, deputy mayor for projects and construction.

He said that initial studies are currently being completed by the Ministry of Transport and the project will be tendered to international consortia for engineering, procurement and construction. The time frame for the project will be set after the initial studies are completed, he added.

Jeddah, an expanding city of over 3 million people, has been struggling with inadequate infrastructure and is undergoing a multi-billion-dollar overhaul that aims to transform the port city into a trade and tourist centre.

Saudi Arabia is also spending millions in upgrading the transport network in Riyadh, Four consortia have been prequalified to bid to build its metro system (see Page 12).