US Parsons Joint Venture Wins Management Contract for Riyadh Metro Red Line Extension

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 3, Parsons Corporation of the United States announced that the Riyadh Metro Transit Consultants (RMTC), a joint venture it formed with France's Egis and Systra, has been selected by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) to provide project and construction management (PMCM) services for the Riyadh Metro Red Line extension. The contract was awarded in March 2026 as a multi-year assignment.

The engineering boundaries of the Red Line extension have been clearly defined. The line extends southward from the existing Red Line terminus at King Saud University (KSU) Station to Diriyah South, with a total length of 8.4 kilometers, of which 1.3 kilometers is elevated and 7.1 kilometers is underground, connecting Riyadh's historic district with the public transit network. The design-build contract for the extension is valued at USD 2.75 billion and is being constructed by a consortium led by Webuild, together with L&T, Nesma & Partners and Alstom, using a driverless metro system.

RMTC's PMCM role covers design review, construction supervision, schedule and cost control, and system integration coordination. RMTC previously served as project management and construction supervision consultant for Riyadh Metro Lines 1, 2 and 3, and has accumulated experience with the design standards, interface relationships and operational requirements of the existing network; this contract extends its responsibilities from the already-opened lines to a newly built branch line, rather than marking its first entry into the project. This continuity reduces the interface risks between the Red Line extension and the existing Red Line in terms of signaling, rolling stock and operational control.

The construction of the extension is embedded in Riyadh Metro's overall expansion plan. In October 2026, RCRC signed a contract with Siemens and Alstom for the procurement of 94 new trains, with the first batch of rolling stock expected to be delivered in phases from 2028 to enhance network capacity: capacity on the Red Line will increase by up to 142%, the Yellow Line by 116%, the Blue Line by 60%, the Orange Line by 27%, and the Purple Line by 16%; the Blue Line's daily passenger capacity is expected to rise from approximately 340,000 to 533,000 passenger trips. The 8.4 kilometers and supporting stations added by the Red Line extension, together with the deployment of this batch of trains, form part of the same expansion cycle's hardware and management capacity package.