PHOTO
WSP Middle East announced on Monday the start of tendering process for mobility solutions within Saudi Arabia’s The Red Sea Project, marking the next phase of the Multimodal Operational Readiness Plan for the regenerative tourism giga project.
The Canada-headquartered global professional services firm said in a press statement that this phase involves inviting expressions of interest (EOI) from international mobility operators to supply and operate transportation modes across three modal packages throughout the project.
The three packages would be in addition to one package for a Mobility Operations Manager as The Red Sea project prepares to open to guests in early 2023, the statement said.
It said the EOI stage follows “the creation of a blueprint” for decarbonised future mobility targeting guests, employees and logistics.
The partnership opportunity could be extensive for first movers as the overall projects portfolio has expanded with Amaala’s takeover by TRSDC, according to Andreas Flourou, Executive Director, Operations – Mobility at The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC).
“The destination is on track to be powered solely by 100 percent renewable solar energy, saving upwards of 500,000 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere every year. As such, we’ve set out to be equally ambitious in our mobility operations and are seeking the very best industry partners to help us in realising this vision.”
Kathleen McGrail, Managing Director – Advisory Services at WSP Middle East, said her firm is leveraging its industry-leading advisory and mobility expertise to accelerate multi-modal solutions for The Red Sea Project.
“In line with TRSDC’s aspirations to be net-zero, our goal is to set the benchmark for safe, smart, sustainable journeys, which elevate The Red Sea Project as the world’s foremost regenerative tourism destination.”
Noor Hajir, Head of Transport Planning & Mobility at WSP Middle East, added that WSP is assisting TRSDC to develop a resilient mobility implementation model that can be scaled to accommodate the phased approach of The Red Sea Project and used as a benchmark for future projects across the Kingdom.
The statement noted that at full build, The Red Sea and Amaala fleets will boast approximately 800 electric vehicles for guest transportation, a further 450 electric buses for staff, and more than 300 electric vehicles for logistics.
“WSP Middle East’s industry-leading advisory and mobility experts are engaged in helping The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) identify land, sea and air transport requirements for the development and its operations, underpinned by the latest advances in green mobility,” the statement said.
(Writing by Anoop Menon; Editing by Seban Scaria)
