Riyadh orders more metro trains to boost passenger capacity
Transportationvia Railway Gazette
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SAUDI ARABIA: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City has awarded Alstom a €460m contract to supply additional Metropolis driverless metro trainsets for used on lines 3 (Orange), 4 (Yellow) and 6 (Purple). Alstom said the expansion of the fleet would increase capacity, enhance operational flexibility and enable the provision of more frequent services as passenger demand continues to grow. The order for an undisclosed number of trainsets builds on the 116 already supplied by Alstom for the three lines. The additional sets will be maintained by the manufacturer as part of the existing operation and maintenance contract for this tranche of the network. ‘We are proud to continue supporting the Royal Commission for Riyadh City in expanding one of the world’s most advanced metro networks’, said Mohamed Khalil, Alstom’s MENA RHQ Managing Director, on September 28. ‘The additional vehicles will help the network respond to growing demand while continuing to provide a high-quality passenger experience.’
SAUDI ARABIA: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City has awarded Alstom a €460m contract to supply additional Metropolis driverless metro trainsets for used on lines 3 (Orange), 4 (Yellow) and 6 (Purple).
Alstom said the expansion of the fleet would increase capacity, enhance operational flexibility and enable the provision of more frequent services as passenger demand continues to grow.
The order for an undisclosed number of trainsets builds on the 116 already supplied by Alstom for the three lines. The additional sets will be maintained by the manufacturer as part of the existing operation and maintenance contract for this tranche of the network.
‘We are proud to continue supporting the Royal Commission for Riyadh City in expanding one of the world’s most advanced metro networks’, said Mohamed Khalil, Alstom’s MENA RHQ Managing Director, on September 28. ‘The additional vehicles will help the network respond to growing demand while continuing to provide a high-quality passenger experience.’
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ITALY: Hitachi Rail has delivered the first of 22 trainsets ordered to renew the fleet on Napoli metro Line 6. The €200m contract was awarded by the city in February 2024, with the first six trainsets required to be delivered in 2026 at a cost of €60m to meet Recovery & Resilience Facility funding deadlines. The trainsets are being produced at Hitachi Rail’s local plant in Napoli and at Pistoia. The first arrived at Mostra depot on October 16. The 39.1 m long trainsets will accommodate up to 290 passengers, including 60 seated. The new trains are intended to improve service reliability and passenger comfort, with an initial target of trains operating at every 8 min, increasing to a train every 4½ min once the full fleet is delivered. The fleet renewal forms part of wider investment in Line 6. A separate €630m contract signed in December 2025 covers a new depot and a one-station western extension from Mostra to Via Campegna, with completion planned for 2032.
A round-up of recent rail industry contract awards around the world, compiled by Railway Gazette International. Australia: An alliance of Acciona, WSP, Metro Trains Melbourne and VIDA Rail has been awarded a contract to close level crossings at Anderson Street and Hudsons Road in Melbourne. Two accessible underpasses will be built for pedestrians and cyclists. Belgium: Infrabel has awarded Teleste a contract to supply TFT LCD information displays for stations. This follows a 2025 contract to supply RGB LED displays for the main stations. ‘Infrabel’s decision to expand our partnership is an important recognition of Teleste’s ability to deliver reliable passenger information technologies for demanding environments’, said Claudio Borrello, Business Director, Display Solutions at Teleste. Canada: The federal government is providing up to C$254m through the Trade Diversification Corridors Fund to support the Saint John Trade Corridor project to improve port operations and strengthen rail connections. This will include stabilisation of the Bayshore Rail Terminal shoreline to protect the only rail access to Port Saint John, upgrading of 103 km of New Brunswick Southern Railway track with continuously welded rail to increase the line speed to 64 km/h, and reconstruction of Simms Corner to separate rail and road traffic. Metrolinx has awarded Kenaidan Murphy JV the major construction contract for Grimsby GO station on Toronto’s Lakeshore West commuter line. It will be the first station built using a standardised approach which aims to provide a safe and functional customer experience and establish a model that can be used efficiently for future stations. Chile: Siemens Mobility has selected Teltronic to deploy a 5G-ready private 4G network on 87 km of route which is being upgraded to enable EFE to launch passenger services from Santiago to Melipilla and Batuco, and to equip 32 trains with RTP-800 radios to support ETCS Level 2 and passenger information, public address and CCTV. Europe: Captrain Deutschland CargoWest is leasing two Alstom Traxx Universal Class 188 electric locos from Railpool for use between Germany and France; one has a last-mile diesel engine. France: High speed rail new entrant Velvet is to use IVU Traffic Technologies’ IVU.rail software for the planning and dispatch of rolling stock and personnel. ‘With IVU.rail, we have a system that has been tried and tested by many rail operators, which helps us to prepare the processes for our future operations at an early stage’, said Velvet President and co-founder Rachel Picard. Georgia: Georgian Railway is to acquire 200 open wagons from Russia’s Roslavl Wagon Repair Plant under a contract worth US$9.6m. Germany: Heavy Haul Power International is to lease an additional Stadler Euro9000 loco from European Loc Pool. This will take its fleet to nine EuroDual and two Euro9000 locomotives leased from ELP. Ireland: Following a tender, Iarnród Éireann has awarded current contractor Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group a new contract valued at more than €140m for the operation and maintenance of its 19 on-track machines for eight years, with the option to IÉ to extend for a further two years. A joint venture of Arcadis and Tetra Tech has been appointed to Iarnród Éireann’s five-year Multi-Party Framework for Project Project Multi-Disciplinary Consultants PMP Phases 1-5. The JV, with supply chain partners including IDOM, will provide expert design and engineering, environmental, advisory and programme and project management services. Poland: Budimex has signed a contract to build Siemens Mobility’s Rail Service Centre in Gądki near Poznań. The contract covers facilities for servicing and repair, including a workshop building, a wheel lathe building, a gatehouse and two transformer substations, 2.4 km of track and electrification. Auxiliary facilities will also be built, including storage shelters, internal roads and yards and a car park with 24 spaces. Completion is planned by the end of 2027. Uruguay: Corporación Ferroviaria del Uruguay has been appointed to undertaken a US$1.8m rehabilitation of the 750 m long Río Negro bridge at Paso de los Toros. Track renewals will be carried out by a co-operative contracted by CFU and comprising former concrete sleeper plant employees. The project had been taken out of the Ferrocarril Central route modernisation project to reduce costs. USA: New York & Atlantic Railway has been awarded a $6.5m Federal Railroad Administration Consolidated Rail Infrastructure & Safety Improvements grant and $2m from New York State towards a $10.9m project to upgrade four locomotives with Tier 4-compliant Cummins engines. Ritron has supplied CSX Transportation with 65 locomotive radios equipped for both legacy analogue narrowband communication and the more recent very narrowband NXDN digital technology standard adopted by all Class I freight railways.
