Lloyd’s Register has been awarded the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) contract for the Riyadh Metro by the executive branch of the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh.

The award underlines Lloyd’s Register’s position as the leading safety assessor of rail systems in the Middle East region, the company said.

It said as the ISA it will deliver the highest quality safety assessment with confidence that the Riyadh Metro system will operate safely. The work will involve regular assessments and audits of safety plans, processes, activities and documentation at every stage of the system’s construction in Riyadh, from detailed designs through to the start of operations in 2018.

Riyadh’s expanding economy has seen rapid urban growth with a population set to increase from 5.7 million people today to 8.3 million by 2030, hence making the need to have a public transport system paramount.

The new system will comprise a metro and bus network. Built at a total cost of $30 billion, it is the largest public transport project in development worldwide.

The metro network will consist of 85 air-conditioned stations at a mixture of elevated, at-grade, shallow underground and deep underground locations. The six-line 175 km driverless system will connect central districts of Riyadh with outlying residential areas and the King Khalid International Airport.

Mike Elliott, Middle East Rail business manager for Lloyd’s Register, said

“There is a responsibility on all parties to ensure that Riyadh’s first ever metro system is completed on time and to the highest possible safety standards. Though the essence of our role is to retain an objective, independent stance, we are very much part of the project delivery team and will use our experience of systems in Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and elsewhere to ensure that best practice is brought across and that potential issues and delays are identified and resolved without disruption to the overall project schedule.

Lloyd’s Register has a proven record of providing independent safety assessments in the Middle East region with appointments on Etihad Rail, the Qatar Rail Development Programme and the Dubai Metro, as well as similar assessment services on Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro in Mecca and the Personal Rapid Transport system at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi.

Lloyd’s Register is a global engineering, technical and business services organisation wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and engineering. Founded in 1760 as a marine classification society, LR now operates across many industry sectors with over 9,000 employees in 78 countries.