30 Ambassadors visit Riyadh Metro TBMs

On May 5, 2016, 30 foreign ambassadors to the Kingdom visited locations of two Riyadh Metro’s tunnel boring machines (TBMs) «San’ah» and «Dhafrah», accompanied by ADA officials to brief them on the progress achieved in King Abdulaziz Project for Riyadh Public Transport (Metro & Buses).

During the visit, ADA team shared a video presentation with the ambassadors to shed light on the project, which will comprehensively change the lifestyle in the city.

The presentation briefed the ambassadors on the project’s main components including its six lines, 85 stations, parking lots, boarding and maintenance stations, control and operation center, and related urban improvement plans.

ADA team escorted the ambassadors in a tour to the location of «San’ah» and «Dhafrah» TBMs, two of seven TBMs specially manufactured for the project to bore ‎35 kilometers of tunnels ‎along ‎the three metro lines (Orange, Green and Blue).‎ The TBMs length ranges from 90 to 120 meters, with each TBM weighing approximately 2,000 tons, ‎and ‎digging away about 50 truckloads of earth daily.

After listening to a detailed explanation about the security and safety procedures, the ambassadors wore the safety gear and moved along the two TBM tunnels via special trailers that allowed them to explore the tunnel’s components. At the end of the tunnel, the ambassadors watched the modern technologies and multiple functions of the giant TBMs, which cause no vibration or noise to the surface while boring the tunnels and lining it with precast concrete segmental linings.