The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has issued a tender inviting firms to bid for a contract for project management consultancy services for the construction of Riyadh Metro Line 7.

MEED understands that RCRC has allowed firms until March to submit their proposals.

The latest development follows contractors submitting bids on 31 January for a contract to design and build the project.

The project involves constructing a metro line linking the Qiddiya entertainment city development, King Abdullah International Gardens, King Salman Park, Misk City and Diriyah Gate. The total length of the line will be about 65 kilometres (km), of which 47km will be underground and 19km will be elevated.

The line will have 19 stations, 14 of which will be built underground and five above ground.

Riyadh Metro’s first phase features six lines with 84 stations. The RCRC completed the phased roll-out of the Riyadh Metro network when it started operating the Orange Line in January this year.

Construction has also begun on the next phase of Riyadh Metro, the extension of Line 2.

In July last year, MEED exclusively reported that RCRC had awarded an estimated $800m-$900m contract for the project.

The contract was awarded to the Arriyadh New Mobility Consortium, led by Italy’s Webuild.

The group also includes India’s Larsen & Toubro, Saudi Arabia’s Nesma & Partners and France’s Alstom.

Line 3, also known as the Orange Line, stretches from east to west, from Jeddah Road to the Second Eastern Ring Road, covering a total distance of 41km.

The line spans 8.4km, of which 1.3km is elevated and 7.1km is underground. It includes five stations – two elevated and three underground.

It will run from the current terminus of Line 2 at King Saud University (KSU) and continue to new stations at KSU Medical City, KSU West, Diriyah East and Diriyah Central – where it will interchange with the planned Line 7 – before terminating at Diriyah South.