Future in motion: Egis’ pivotal role in the Riyadh Metro project
By Shehzin Shaikh as issued in Construction Week's May 2025 issue
More than just a transport network, Riyadh Metro is a symbol of Saudi Arabia’s future-forward ambition. In this exclusive interview, Omar Benzaria, Regional Transportation Director, Middle East & South Asia, explains how Egis helped deliver its most complex segments—from underground engineering to automated safety systems—and why the project is a model for future mobility in emerging megacities.
Egis played a pivotal role in the Riyadh Metro project, overseeing the design and construction of 60% of the network. Can you walk us through the scope of your involvement and what made this megaproject particularly unique from an engineering and project management perspective?
As part of the Riyadh Metro Transit Consultants (RMTC) consortium, we carried out the design and construction management on behalf of the client RCRC. What made this project truly exceptional was not just the scale,
but the complexity of integrating diverse construction methodologies—from deep bored tunnels and cut-and-cover approaches to elevated viaducts and architectural iconic stations designed by world class architects—all while ensuring seamless interface with the system’s automation and safety architecture.
Beyond concrete and steel, our role was about orchestration: coordinating multinational stakeholders, harmonising civil and systems engineering disciplines, and delivering a city-defining project that positions Riyadh among the world’s leading smart mobility capitals.
What were some of the key challenges Egis faced while delivering Lines 1, 2, and 3—and how were they overcome?
Constructing three high-capacity metro lines out of the six lines in parallel in the heart of a fast-growing capital city presented challenges on an extraordinary scale—technical, logistical, environmental, and social. We had to manage deep excavations through complex, dense and varied urban fabric, maintain alignment with global safety standards under intense climatic conditions,
and integrate civil works with the latest driverless systems.
We implemented rigorous systems assurance management techniques to ensure safety across multiple interfaces and disciplines to reduce lifecycle costs and disruptions. Our teams worked hand-in-hand with partners, providing a critical coordination layer across design, schedule, and stakeholder management to ensure resilience of signaling, power, and safety systems—while also navigating regulatory approvals with the Saudi Civil Defense and the Transport General Authority.
How did Egis align its work with Saudi Arabia’s goals for urban mobility and sustainability?
Our strategy integrated transit-oriented development principles, adopting multimodal connectivity across pedestrian zones, bus systems, and future mobility solutions, while promoting equitable access across districts. Beyond our scope, we helped to catalyse social development: advancing technical training for young Saudis in fields like platform screen door systems, rolling stock, systems engineering, and public transport architecture. This transfer of knowledge ensures an engineering and technical legacy of local job creation. Sustainability was a key dimension of the project. We participated in planning reviews that encouraged energy-efficient station designs, enhanced thermal adaptation strategies for the Riyadh climate, and design inputs that enabled project partners to achieve LEED-aligned goals for some of the iconic stations.
How did Egis ensure top-tier safety, resilience, and reliability in the transit lines it managed?
As the metro is a fully driverless network, operating under Level 4 automation, and is among the most advanced globally, safety protocols had to be seamless across infrastructure and operations.
We supported the integration of control systems delivered by technology partners such as Hitachi, Alstom, and Siemens, ensuring interface alignment across safety, signalling, and power. Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC), platform screen doors, and Operation Control Centres form the core of the system’s resilience, safety, and reliability strategy.
We provided rigorous oversight, collaborating with Independent Safety Assessors, civil defence authorities, and the Saudi Arabia rail regulator (Transport General Authority), to ensure fail-safe and reliable operations from day one.
Looking at Riyadh’s long-term urban development, how do you see the metro transforming daily life and shaping the city’s growth over the next decade?
Commuting in Riyadh has long been defined by car dependency. The metro disrupts that model by offering a reliable, high-capacity alternative that dramatically reduces travel times. For residents, particularly low- and middle-income workers, the metro provides a new-level of affordable and accessible transport, elevating quality of life and bridging geographic and social divides.
Moreover, the metro is a trigger for densification and spatial reorganisation. It is reshaping how people move, where businesses cluster,
and how neighborhoods develop. The network’s 85 stations are already becoming anchors for transit-oriented development (TOD), catalysing residential, commercial, and recreational projects, fostering mixed-use, higher-density urban planning.
The integration of accessibility features—from barrier-free stations to inclusive design for people with disabilities—ensures the network serves all demographics. Meanwhile, the data collected on passenger flow and mobility patterns is set to play a key role in future urban planning, enabling more responsive public services and optimised infrastructure investment.
What does this project’s success mean for Egis globally, and how has it shaped your position in transport infrastructure?”
Our journey began well before ground was broken. In 2012, Egis was engaged to deliver the initial studies, tender preparation, and contract negotiation for the metro—a foundational phase that shaped the project’s trajectory and positioned Egis as an integral force behind its delivery.
That early engagement established a blueprint for project governance, integration, and stakeholder alignment that endured throughout its construction and commissioning phases.
Today, Egis operates its regional headquarters out of Riyadh, supporting not just the metro, but a growing portfolio of mega and giga projects across mobility, sustainability, and urban planning.
The lessons from Riyadh are shaping our global practice. We’ve strengthened our frameworks for delivering integrated, automated transit systems in emerging megacities. We’ve advanced our expertise in urban transports including Systems Assurance, transport architecture, and cyber security, developed new models for project phasing and risk management, and deepened our understanding of urban dynamics.
As we continue to support the next generation of Saudi infrastructure—be it metro extensions, smart cities, or sustainable mobility—we do so with the confidence and clarity earned from delivering one of the world’s most ambitious urban transit systems.
