Saudi Arabia: Khalid Bin Bandar attends Metro ceremony

Riyadh governor Prince Khalid Bin Bandar attended a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the first day of construction work on the Riyadh metro system on 3 April. “The phase of research and planning is over and now it is time for implementation,” he was quoted as saying. The multi-billion dollar project will involve six rail lines extending 176km, carrying electric driverless trains; Saudi media said it was to be delivered within 48 months. Prince Khalid was appointed to govern the capital on 14 February 2013, following the death of Prince Sattam Bin Abdelaziz, under whom management of Riyadh’s projects had fallen into disarray (GSN 941/1).