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Riyadh Metro Installation of Signalling Systems

Home » Riyadh Metro Installation of Signalling Systems Published: 21st March 2022 This Case Study was Written by: Munir Patel - XRAIL Group   installation , project management , risk assessment , riyadh

The Riyadh Metro is a rapid transit system under construction in the city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. It will consist of six metro lines spanning a total length of 176 kilometers, with 85 stations.

The project will cost $22.5 billion to build. It is scheduled for a light opening in 2019, and the full network is expected to be fully operational in 2021

XRAIL was required to plan, manage and deliver the Signalling Installation programme on behalf of Alstom for the Riyadh Metro Project. The scope of the work for this project included the full fitting out of the Signalling Equipment Rooms with Signalling and Telecoms Equipment and the installation of the corresponding trackside equipment.

To effectively manage the project, XRAIL produced a number of documentation and plans to confirm the methodology to deliver the project and established means to monitoring the projects on a daily basis. This allowed a collaborative approach between XRAIL and its client with measured targets for safety, quality and productivity.

Below is the list of documents, equipment and testing undertaken for this project:

Documentation

• Project Management Plan
• Installation and Test Management Plan
• Programme Planning – P6
• Installation Method Statements
• Toolbox talks
• Lifting Plans
• Dynamic Risk Assessments
• Daily Site reports
• Installation Test Certificates
• Installation Handover Certificate

Equipment Installation within Signalling Equipment Rooms and Trackside

• 2 Aspect Signals
• 1 Aspect Signals
• Point Machines – MJ2004, MATR68, SVM
• Axle Counter heads
• Axle Counter – GAK Boxes
• Staff Protection Keyswitches
• Passenger Information Displays
• Eurobalises – Beacons
• CLC
• SMART IO – Interlocking
• Relay Frame with Q-style relays
• Axle Counter Evaluator
• Power Distribution Cabinet
• ODF (optical fibre Frame) Cabinet
• ATS Central Cabinet
• Tetra SBS Cabinet

Cabling included

• Power Cables – various sizes
• Earthing
• ZUG cables – Plug couplers between racks

Testing

• Meggering’ of cables
• Continuity testing
• Functional testing

Programme saving initiatives

To maximise the use of Engineering Hours XRAIL was able to draw from standard installation practices in the UK to achieve installation time and cost savings for the Client. The initiatives included:

Off-site prewiring and preparation of trackside equipment including disconnection boxes
Use of plug-coupled prefabricated harnesses were undertaken prior to possessions

These initiatives resulted in a much more efficient use of Engineering hours and possessions to maximise the on-site installation. This led to savings in the installation programme and duration of 3.6 weeks over a 32-week programme, hence a programme saving of around 11%.

Value added achievements

XRAIL was keen to provide added value by opting for the following delivery approach:

Employ, train and mentor local people to perform a significant percentage of the installation work.
Mixing local staff with a pool of suitably experienced XRAIL staff from the UK to lead and mentor the
local staff.

In doing so, XRAIL was able to provide:

Direct savings to the Client in terms of lower installation resource costs compared with those of expatriate UK-based installer rates.
Valued income to local communities as well as knowledge, training and skills commensurate with those found in the UK.