Saudi: NEOM marks key milestone with underground parking, light rail work

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Saudi Arabia - NEOM, the developer of a mega futuristic city in Saudi Arabia, has successfully completed construction phases of its underground parking and light rail systems ahead of schedule, thus marking a significant milestone in the construction of its zero-carbon city initiative.

The project achieved remarkable daily progress by completing three piles per day per drilling rig assisted by 10 high-capacity rotary drilling rigs from Chinese heavy machinery manufacturing company XCMG Machinery.

The XCMG rotary drilling rigs - 4 units of XR500E, 2 units each of XR600E, XR320D and XR400D - demonstrated exceptional capability by handling pile foundations ranging from 60-90m deep and 2-2.5 m, said the Chinese company in a statement.

The underground parking and light rail are key elements of NEOM’s advanced sustainable transportation plan.

This phase was accelerated by the efficiency of XCMG’s rotary drilling rigs, which handled deep foundation work despite challenging sandy geologies, said the statement.

Led by the Public Investment Fund, the project will be a futuristic region in northwest Saudi Arabia powered entirely by renewable energy.

According to NEOM, this accomplishment supports its goal of building a city with zero carbon emissions and sustainable energy use.

Over 140,000 construction workers have been engaged on-site since its launch in 2017, and earlier in July it was announced the various projects underconstruction are set to receive cement worth SR104 million ($27.7 million) thanks to a partnership between Saudi Arabia’s Al Jouf Cement Co. and Italy’s Webuild SpA, it stated.

Despite entering the site a month later than other machinery, these rigs completed their tasks two weeks early, showcasing reliability and superior performance for their speed and efficiency, said tyhe statement from NEOM.

The XR600E is the largest tonnage drilling rig that has been deployed in the construction of the world’s largest integrated development project.

The recent completion marks a significant milestone in the construction of its ambitious zero-carbon city initiative led by the Saudi Arabia government.