Business & Money | Monday 17 August, 2015 4:02 am |

The woes Jeddah traffic will soon be a thing of the past, by the introduction of a new form of public transport. The metro system will be established in the city by 2022, enabling commuters to move around the city in a hassle-free manner.
The system will consist of light trains such as trams operating along the Corniche, and the Al-Dawai train. The metro will also be serving the Al-Muntalaq Station, which will also be connected to the Haramain train providing Jeddah residents a seamless route to Makkah.
The project is estimated to cost SR45 billion and is expected to transport 30% of the city’s commuters by 2040.
Executive director of the Jeddah Metro Company, Dr. Osama Abda, told the local media that the first phase of the project will be tendered this year and the rest in 2016.
The French Sistra Company has been nominated for consultation on engineering designs for the project. The company is in the process of reviewing the city’s current and future development plans. Abda pointed out that the metro will consist of four lines coloured red, blue, green and orange for reference.
The metro will be a stepping-stone for the city’s future development of public transportation, which includes the Corniche tram, light trains along Palestine and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulziz Streets (Al-Tahliya) and fast buses alongside King Fahad and Al-Harra Street.
Abda added “"The goal of the public transportation project in Jeddah is to provide the best and most suitable types and choices for public transportation, in addition to the easy use of car parks that are connected to public transportation paths on the city's borders, to decrease traffic congestions inside the city and lessen pollution." 
Jeddah’s population is expected to reach 6.2 million by 2033, hence updates to the current transport system is vital in order to sustain the commutes.