The Medina Metro Development Authority (MMDA) has just awarded Egis, in association with Systra, a contract to carry out the design studies of the future metro network in Medina. The contract relates to three lines (green, blue, red) stretching a total of 95 km, including 25 km underground and 48 km overhead.

The project is part of an ambitious plan initiated over the past few years by Saudi Arabia to develop and modernize its transport infrastructure. As the second holiest city in the country, Medina has to deal with an influx of several million pilgrims each year. The metro is due to enter into service in 2020, with the project divided up into two distinct phases. The consortium will be tasked with carrying out the feasibility studies and the preliminary design for the metro, including the preparation of invitation to tender documentation for “Design and Build” contracts. Over a 12-month period, the project team based in Medina will draw on all of Egis’ expertise required for this huge project: civil engineering, architecture, environment, rolling stock, signalling, telecoms, operating strategy, etc. This new contract comes as a complementary addition to the metro services provided currently by Egis in the Middle East in the fields of project management and works supervision contracts. Indeed, since 2013, Egis has been in charge of the project management and construction supervision of three lines of the future Riyadh metro, in partnership with Systra and the American firm Parsons. Egis is also active in Qatar on the project management of the Doha metro (civil engineering of its yellow line, civil engineering and equipment of Musheireb and Education City stations), and more recently on the project management of the overhead and ground-level sections of the Doha metro.

(Photo: Omar Chatriwala from Doha, Qatar)