Alstom has started the production of trainsets for the three lines of Riyadh Metro being built by the FAST consortium as part of their 2013 contract from the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA).
The 69 Metropolis trainsets for lines 4, 5 and 6 of the Riyadh Metro network are the being manufactured at Alstom’s Katowice plant in Poland, scheduled for delivery to ADA in 2017.
The Metropolis trains designed for the project are 36m-long and divided into two cars, featuring first class, family and single area divisions. They are driverless and capable of running on slopes of up to 6% in gradient.
In addition to the trainsets, Alstom is also providing its Urbalis CBTC signalling solution, the power supply and Alstom’s HESOP energy recovery system. All these subsystems have also been optimised together so as to reduce energy consumption.
A full-size mock-up of a Riyadh Metropolis trainset will soon be unveiled to the public.
The Katowice plant employees 1,000 workers and is one of Alstom’s largest train manufacturing sites, capable of carrying out every step of the production, including the final static and dynamic tests.
The other Alstom sites involved in the project are located in France, Spain and Belgium.