Jeddawis want early completion of metro
23 May 2014Jeddah residents have called on the Saudi Arabian government to complete the metro project as early as possible to give them relief from the heavy congestion on the city's roads.
The project, approved by the Council of Ministers recently, is expected to reduce the number of cars on the city's roads by 80 percent.
"I wish with all my heart to see this massive national project materialize in the near future because it will bring relief to the people who cannot afford to have cars of their own," Hussein Al-Balushi, a Jeddah resident, told local press reporters.
Director General of Transport in Makkah Province Muhammad Madani said on 22 May that the three-line metro project would be ready for passengers by 2018.
Madani said the Jeddah Municipality is responsible for monitoring implementation of the metro project, while the Ministry of Transport would oversee it.
He said the metro would have three lines marked orange, blue and green. The project also includes a corniche coach and tram lines, suburban trains and a huge network of bus services.
Expert engineering consultancy companies would update the general plan for the mass transport network in Jeddah, to connect all lead projects in the city, he said.
