SNC-Lavalin awarded project management services contract for the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh: Gulf Tech News

SNC-Lavalin, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, has been awarded a project management services contract by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of its bus network as part of the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project. The project is dedicated to building, operating, and developing a world-class rapid transport network for Riyadh, providing comfortable, affordable, and time-saving mobility options for all people living in the city.

The King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport will offer metro services and a comprehensive bus network. Combined, the project will have a capacity of 1.7 million passengers daily in the initial operation phase. The Riyadh Metro Project, including six lines and 86 metro stations, is the backbone of the public transport network in Riyadh. The Riyadh Bus Project, including 80 routes and 2,860 bus stations served by 842 buses, is fully integrated with the metro network, connecting the districts of Riyadh with the business and commercial centers. With the capacity to transport over 500,000 passengers, the bus network will serve as a primary means of transportation within residential districts. The King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project began its first phase of operation in March 2023.

As part of the contract, which is a joint venture (JV) with Dorsch Holding GmbH, SNC-Lavalin will provide project management and site supervision services for the O&M of the Riyadh bus network, including managing all assets related to the automatic vehicle management (AVM) and automatic fare collection (AFC) systems, and intelligent infrastructure through a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). By using its digital solutions to analyze the data from the bus tracking system, the Company aims to increase the accuracy of the forecast demand to optimize the bus service delivery for the population of Riyadh. In addition, passenger guidance and information system will be used to increase the efficiency of the network operation, providing passengers with real time updates about their trip and bus schedules. For the past four years, SNC-Lavalin has successfully delivered program management and supervision services for the O&M of Riyadh Metro, which is the largest public transport network project in the world. 

“The King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project is one of the most ambitious plans set by RCRC to provide integrated transport solutions, reduce carbon footprint, and enhance the quality of life for the people of Riyadh,” said Mohamed Youssef, Senior Vice President, Projects and O&M, Engineering Services, Middle East and Africa, SNC-Lavalin. “This contract win underpins our continuous commitment to supporting Saudi Vision 2030 and our stellar reputation as the trusted partner of choice for world-class O&M services across the region. By working closely with RCRC and our JV partner, we’ll ensure the project is delivered to the highest environmental, quality and safety standards by providing our engineering excellence, digital services and net zero solutions.”

From building sustainable communities to boosting local economies, SNC-Lavalin provides efficient, reliable local transport networks tailored to each client’s needs. This is achieved by developing integrated transport solutions driven by digital tools and data that maximize benefits, enabling better investment planning, O&M decisions, reducing waste and enhancing asset longevity. In the Middle East, the SNC-Lavalin Group, including Atkins and Faithful+Gould, have delivered a number of flagship public transport projects, such as Dubai Metro, Riyadh Metro and Doha Metro.