The Saudi Arabian government awarded US$ 22.5 billion in contracts to three foreign-led consortia on Sunday for the design and construction of a metro rail system in the capital Riyadh. The project, which will involve six rail lines extending 176 kilometers and carrying electric, driverless trains, is the world's largest public transport system currently under development, Saudi officials said. U.S. construction giant "Bechtel Corp" heads a group which won a US$ 9.45 billion contract to build two lines, the government announced. A consortium led by Spain's "FCC" won a US$ 7.82 billion contract for three lines, while Italy's "Ansaldo STS" heads a group that won a US$ 5.21 billion order. Design work will start immediately and construction will begin in the first quarter of 2014, the government said. The project would be completed in 2019. Designs for the Riyadh Metro call for 35.2 kilometers of twin-tube bored running tunnels and a further 13.7 kilometers of cut-and-cover work for a total subsurface length of nearly 49 km. Preliminary designs of the 176 kilometer metro system have been carried out by consultants Dar Al-Hanasah of Lebanon and Egis Rail of France. The Riyadh Metro or the so-called "Miracle of the Desert" consists of six main lines running a total length of 176 km with 94 stations, including 85 main stations, four transfer stations, and five park-and-ride stations. The proposed metro passes through areas near government buildings, commercial and health centers, educational centers and major universities in Riyadh and its suburbs. The metro will also connect the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) through the city center and densely populated areas of Riyadh. Trains on the six lines will run at 40 km/h. All stations and carriages will be air-conditioned. The driverless electric trains will also be divided into first class, family class and single class carriages. Designs for the major stations were unveiled by the authority in May, with UK-based architect Zaha Hadid's design chosen for a station at King Abdullah Financial District, Norway's Snohetta chosen for a Downtown (Qasr Al-Hokm) station and Gerber Architekten of Germany's designs picked for a new hub station at Olaya.

The first phase of the historic expansion of Saudi Arabia's Grand Mosque in Makkah has opened in time to accommodate 400 thousand more worshippers this Ramadan, according to Arab News. Three floors of a newly constructed annex have been completed, as well as the northern, southern and western plazas of the mosque. The annex had been decorated with chandeliers and air-conditioning and water fountains had been installed for visitors. There are telephones for visitors to make inquiries about matters related to Umrah or other religious issues. Zamzam water taps have been installed in open plazas to supply cold water to visitors. The new annex's escalators have begun operating to facilitate movement of pilgrims and worshippers to upper floors. Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz laid the foundation stone for the historic expansion project of the Grand Mosque on August 19, 2011. Now the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, is undergoing its largest ever expansion, worth US$ 21.3 billion, to increase its capacity to 2 million pilgrims. The entire expansion is expected to take several years.

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal says he is looking at the world's largest cities, including Shanghai, Moscow, London and New York, as possible locations to build a 1.6-kilometer - high skyscraper that would be the world's tallest building by far. The prince is inviting Dubai's biggest real estate developer Emaar Properties, chaired by Mohammed Alabbar, to team up with his investment firm Kingdom Holding on the project. Alwaleed did not say how the project would be financed if it went ahead, or when it might be completed. He said the cost had yet to be decided. But his ambition reflects the growing confidence of many Gulf companies as they expand overseas, aided by booming economies and rising asset prices in their home countries. He also added countries interested in hosting the world's tallest tower would have to offer attractive financing terms, tax breaks and other government support. Alabbar could not immediately be reached for comment. Over the past year, Emaar has committed itself to several other huge projects in Dubai and nearby countries. Industry experts have said building a 1.6 kilometer skyscraper would involve technical and design challenges, such as how to supply water economically at that height, but would not be impossible. If it is built, the 1.6 kilometer-high tower would surpass the world's current tallest skyscraper, the 828-meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai, as well as the 1 kilometer-high Kingdom Tower now being built by Kingdom Holding in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. The Kingdom Tower is expected to cost around US$ 1.2 billion and will form part of a hotel, retail and luxury residential project. The structure is expected to reach ground level by the end of this year and to be completed in 2017, said Talal Al Maiman, executive director at Kingdom Holding. About 30 percent of useable land in the overall project, which will have an area of about 5.3 million square meters, will be allocated to hotels. The remainder will be divided equally between retail and premium residential space, Al Maiman added. Kingdom Holding, which went public in 2007, has a market value of about $18.5 billion, making it one of the largest listed investment firms in the Middle East. Its assets include stakes in top Western firms such as Citigroup, News Corp and Twitter as well as luxury hotels around the world.

A huge new city for pilgrims covering an area of 1.6 million square meters with a capacity to handle 200 thousand visitors is being planned for Saudi Arabia's holy city in Madinah. The new city will be aimed at accommodating the large number of visitors who flock to the city to make Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. The project will be based close to the Al Masjid Al Nabawi - the Prophet's Mosque and will include a number of hotels and furnished apartments, a railway and bus station, offices of government agencies and a 400-bed hospital. The project has been welcomed by Muslim organizations and state-owned Public Investment Fund will finance the project. Construction is expected to start during several months.

In order to serve its rapidly expanding population of more than five million, the ArRiyadh Development Authority has commissioned Zaha Hadid Architects to construct the new King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station in its capital city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Best known in Britain for her design of the Olympics Aquatic Centre, Hadid has again envisaged a curved structure, with the station's undulating form supposedly referencing Saudi Arabia's desert sand dunes. Measuring 20,434 square meters in size, the huge space will feature four public floors as well as two levels of underground parking and is intended to function as a gathering place as well as an interchange. A number of gangways and route within the structure will be incorporated to alleviate congestion and the station will also be connected to the Riyadh monorail via a skybridge. Looking more like the inside of five-star hotel, the proposed network, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will boast a space age design featuring marbled walkways, gold-plated walls and, naturally in one of the hottest places on earth, air conditioning. The facade will apparently be designed to let in light while keeping out the harsh desert sun, while the overall shape is meant to recall the country's wind-blown sand dunes. King Abdullah has instructed the new Riyadh Metro be completed in four years. Prince Khaled bin Bander, the governor of Riyadh, said the project is progressing to plan and the ArRiyadh Development Authority has released details of the city's public transport plan including the six metro lines that will serve as the backbone for public transport in the city.