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Canada-based engineering consultancy SNC-Lavalin has won a project management services contract from 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 integrates the Riyadh Metro Project, including six lines and 86 metro stations, and the Riyadh Bus Project, which includes 80 routes and 2,860 bus stations served by 842 buses.
The King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project have a capacity of 1.7 million passengers daily in the initial operation phase.
As part of the contract, which is a joint venture with Dorsch Holding, 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 and automatic fare collection (AFC) systems, and intelligent infrastructure through a computerised maintenance management system.
With the capacity to transport over 500,000 passengers, the bus network will serve as a primary means of transportation within residential districts, the company said in a statement.
By using its digital solutions to analyse the data from the bus tracking system, the company aims to increase the accuracy of the forecast demand to optimise 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.
“By working closely with RCRC and our JV partner, we will ensure the project is delivered to the highest environmental, quality and safety standards,” said Mohamed Youssef, Senior Vice President, Projects and O&M, Engineering Services, Middle East and Africa, SNC-Lavalin.
The King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project began its first operation phase in March 2023.
(Writing by D Madhura; Editing by Anoop Menon)