Jeddah Public Transportation Program designs 30% complete: report

JEDDAH: The architectural designs of the Jeddah Public Transportation Program (JPTP) are 30 percent complete following Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal’s visit to Metro Jeddah Company on Sunday, according to Al-Eqtisadia newspaper.
The prince launched the JPTP exhibition.
The designs include metro trains, sea ferries, a Corniche tram, a bus network and an Abhur suspended bridge, in addition to the locations of stations that are expected to contribute to the growth and development of the areas where they are built.
The governor urged businessmen to invest in the program. “We have a huge project for Jeddah on which the state has spent huge sums on studies and it is today ready for execution and available for (investments from) the private sector.”
The governor was briefed on the elements of the program that included a 1,800-square-meter ferry terminal and a 53,000-square-meter public square at the Corniche with a capacity of 12,000 people. The JPTP is projected to be an important solutions to the traffic congestion in the city where cars number more than 3 million.
Currently, less then 2 percent of people use public transport daily, but this is projected to increase to 25 percent.    
Jeddah Mayor Hani Abu Ras said the 18-meter-wide tram rail along the Corniche will be offered to the private sector as an investment opportunity. He said that the Jeddah Corniche Development Project will involve three swimming beaches with a total area of more than 50,000 square meters.