A full-size mock-up of the Riyadh Metropolis train manufactured by rail transport company Alstom was unveiled earlier this month in Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia, during a ceremony in the presence of the Riyadh governor Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Transport Minister Suleiman Al Hamdan and other dignitaries from different government Ministries.

The event was organised on the occasion of the end of tunnel excavation works for line five (the green line), one of the three lines being constructed by construction company FAST Consortium, which is one of the three international groups commissioned to build the six-line Riyadh Metro project.

The event also marked the start of the track works construction by Alstom, an important milestone for the project. The works will commence within an at-grade section of the Yellow Line, and will be the first tracks to be installed throughout the Riyadh Metro project.

In 2013, Alstom and FAST were awarded a contract to supply three metro lines, which equal to a length of about 64 km. Alstom is supplying a fully integrated metro system which includes 69 Metropolis trains, the Urbalis interlocking signalling systems, the energy recovery system Hesop as well as tracks.

The Metropolis trains for the Riyadh Metro project are composed of two cars a set and are each 36 m long. Each train features three classes – first, family and single class. The trains are driverless and 100% motorised, allowing them to run on gradients of up to a 6% slope.

The trains will offer passengers a high level of comfort, ergonomic seating, light-emitting diode lighting, air conditioning and advanced passenger information systems. In addition to the Metropolis trains, Alstom will provide the power supply. All subsystems have been optimised together to reduce energy consumption.

As a promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom develops and markets systems, equipment and services for the railway sector. Alstom manages the widest range of solutions in the market, from high-speed trains to metros and tramways, customised services and infrastructure and signalling solutions.