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Dhafrah was the first machine we launched
and San’ah was the first to get going on the
Riyadh Metro project”.
Strict environmental measures
Freyre went on to say that “FAST has
been committed to transferring technical
knowledge to Saudi citizens through se-
veral programs which are currently being
implemented in collaboration with the High
Commission for the Development of Arri-
yadh, and to protecting the environment:
reducing the production of dust and noise
and ensuring that strict safety measures are
taken to limit the impact of the drilling and
construction processes”.
The works are expected to be completely fi-
nished by the end of 2018. Therefore, FAST
(also made up of Samsung, Alstom, Struk-
ton, Freyssinet Saudi Arabia, Typsa, Atkins
and Setec) will employ close to 15,000 wor-
kers of more than 33 nationalities. FCC is
undertaking the challenge of designing and
constructing a first-class metro for the ca-
pital of Saudi Arabia, which currently has a
population of 5.7 million people. 2% of the
population uses public transport, which
equates to approximately 7.4 million jour-
neys made daily. The population is expec-
ted to rise to 8.3 million people by 2030,
therefore the Riyadh Metro will, as well as
boosting the local economy, improve the
Saudi quality of life.
To construct the three lines awarded
under the contract, the FAST consor-
tium will use two 9.77 metre-wide tun-
nel boring machines that will excavate
tunnels with a circular cross section.
Dhafrah was the first tunnel-boring
machine used in the Riyadh-Sanah
metro project and the first one to reach
a station. A total of seven tunnel boring
machines will be used to complete the
Riyadh Metro project, which stands as
the largest underground commuter tra-
in network under construction world-
wide, covering 176 kilometres and 85
stations.
Tunnel-boring machines
FCC is undertaking the
challenge of designing
and constructing a
first-class metro for the
capital of Saudi Arabia,
which currently has a
population of 5.7 million
people
u s i n e s s