Salini Impregilo has completed tunnel excavation on the longest line of the massive Riyadh metro project.
Also known as the Orange Line, Line 3 is more than 40 km long, but only about 11 km will be underground, excavated by a combination of tunnel boring machines and the cut and cover method. Once completed, it will have 22 stations.
Completion of the work on Line 3 was celebrated in the presence of Riyadh Governor HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud in the Downtown Station of the metro.
Located near the Riyadh governors palace in the heart of the city, the Downtown Station will be one of the iconic stations, with two underground metro lines passing through it.
Covering 20,000 square metres, it was designed by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta together with One Works and Crew.
Its entrance will be covered by a massive inverted cone made of stainless steel that will provide shade for passengers and channel sunlight into the underground station.
Salini Impregilo leads the ArRiyadh New Mobility (ANM) consortium, one of three involved in the $23bn, six-line Riyadh Metro project that will cover 176 kilometres.
The metro system will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution in a city whose population is expected to rise from 6.5 million today to 8.3 million by 2030.