Long-Delayed Jeddah Metro Blue Line Moves Back Into Planning

A preliminary design consultancy tender has been issued for the Jeddah Metro’s Blue Line, signalling renewed progress on the long-delayed project after nearly a decade of pause. Consultancy firms have been invited to submit proposals by March, marking the first significant step on the scheme since a prolonged reassessment in the mid 2010s.

Planned to run for roughly 35 kilometres, the Blue Line is designed to link King Abdulaziz International Airport with the Haramain High Speed Railway station and key urban districts. The line is expected to include 15 stations and will be delivered under the oversight of the Jeddah Development Authority, the project’s client.

The Jeddah Metro was first announced in the early 2010s and later integrated into a wider public transport programme around 2013 and 2014. Early momentum built in 2014 when French engineering firm Systra was appointed for preliminary engineering, and US-based Aecom secured an SR 276 million pre-programme management consultancy contract. In 2015, UK architectural firm Foster + Partners was selected to design the metro stations. Later that year, falling global oil prices prompted a reassessment of spending priorities and the project entered a prolonged pause.

Initial concepts set out a multi-line network integrated with bus services and wider urban mobility upgrades. Information published by the Jeddah Transport Company outlined a full scheme of four lines spanning more than 161 kilometres, with 81 stations and a fleet of 197 trains.