By rosebell
As a key link between the metro’s Orange and Blue Lines and the bus network in Riyadh, Riyadh Metro’s Qasr Al Hokm Downtown Station has officially started operations.
Being inaugurated in November last year, the Orange Line (Line 3) is the longest line in the city’s driverless metro network and Qasr Al Hokm is one of its 22 stations.
The station spans 22,500m2 with 88,000m2 of built-up space and reaches a depth of 40m, contains seven floors and is equipped with 17 elevators, and 46 escalators.
The resoinsibility of building this station was up to Webuild, an Italian industrial group specialising in construction and civil engineering, on behalf of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC).
The construction process included tunnel two boring machines operating at different levels, without disrupting other construction activities in the city, as Webuild stated.
The advantages of this station which is located in the Qasr Al Hokm district are enhancing access to administrative offices, historic markets, commercial centres, palaces, and key tourist sites in Riyadh.
According to RCRC’s statement: “Qasr Al Hokm Station features a design that blends tradition and modernity, inspired by the principles of Salmani architecture. It includes a striking stainless-steel canopy that visually connects the station’s multiple levels with its external surroundings, allowing daylight to illuminate the interior while providing shade to the surrounding open areas. The station also boasts an innovative garden, offering passengers a place to sit and relax while waiting for their train. This space enhances the station’s multifunctional role, fostering interaction among residents and visitors.”
In order to reflecting images of the district above into the interior, the new Qasr Al Hokm station features a 70m diameter stainless steel cone-shaped roof which serves as a periscope and the modern station has a large conical wall inside, which references traditional Arabian architecture, connecting the design to local cultural heritage.
With the aim of ensuring accessibility for passengers with disabilities, the station also features LED lighting and advanced ventilation systems to optimise energy usage and ramps, elevators, and tactile signage.
With 176km length, Riyadh Metro is designed to handle up to 3.6 million passengers daily, whereas the Orange Line is the city’s longest and fully driverless metro line with fourteen stations currently operational, including Qasr Al Hokm Downtown Station.
Webuild, in its statement, said: “Webuild is currently involved in other key projects in the Kingdom, including the high-speed Connector rail line and a system of three dams along with a freshwater lake for the city of Trojena, part of the NEOM development program.In Riyadh, Webuild is constructing a massive underground parking facility with 10,500 spaces, as well as the Sang Villas Urbanization Plan. Among its completed projects are the Riyadh Kingdom Center, which won the ‘Emporis Skyscraper Award’ in 2002 as the best skyscraper in the world for design, over 70 healthcare facilities, and the Shuaibah-3 desalination plant, built by Fisia Italimpianti, the Group’s subsidiary specialised in water treatment and desalination.”
