Riyadh Expo 2030 organisers welcomed members of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) to Saudi Arabia.
BIE is the organisation responsible for deciding where future World Expo events will be staged and a mission on a visit to Riyadh visited the proposed Riyadh Expo 2030 site, and were presented with the capital’s masterplan for the venue which covers 6million sq m.
The BIE delegation were also given the exclusive opportunity to take a ride on the soon-to-be-launched Riyadh Metro.
Riyadh Expo delegation ride Metro in Saudi Arabia
Accompanied by Fahd Abdulmohsen Al Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission of Riyadh City (RCRC) at the KAFD Metro Station, the BIE representatives were given a glimpse of high-tech public transport system, that is at the heart of the city’s infrastructure plan.
The delegation also got a chance to discuss the significance of Riyadh city’s future mobility plans.
Al Rasheed said: “We are integrating the Metro in the capital’s intracity infrastructure, ensuring its connectivity to the main sites and accommodation hubs within Riyadh, as part of the city’s mobility initiatives within the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy.
“Such investments in the capital’s infrastructure demonstrate the support of our Leadership, and of all government institutions, behind the Riyadh Expo 2030 candidacy”, he added.
The BIE Enquiry Mission delegation took a ride on Line 4 of the 176km-long, Riyadh Metro network, which will serve the future Riyadh Expo 2030 site.
BIE met with Saleh Al Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, and Ibrahim Al Omar, Director General of Saudia Group.
Al Jasser said: “The whole country is undergoing transformation, and the transport and logistics sector has a key role to play.
“We have already launched five public transit bus networks across the country, and have developed an inter-city bus service network covering 200 cities and governorates. The Kingdom ranks first on the Global Competitive Road Connectivity Index, next to the USA and Spain.”
Al Jasser added: “We will increase the Kingdom’s air transport capacity to be able to handle 330m travellers by 2030, while serving 250 destinations. Moreover, road and metro links will directly connect the Expo site to the airport and the rest of the city.”
BIE delegates also had the opportunity to meet PIF representatives.
They discussed the willingness of the PIF to partner with foreign companies in the areas of construction, cultural programming and events management to deliver the best-possible World Expo.
The Kingdom’s ambition is to host the first World Expo to go beyond carbon neutrality and to achieve a net overall positive impact.
This was the message delivered by Adel Al Jubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Envoy for Climate, when he met with the BIE delegation.
Al Jubeir said that Expo 2030 will contribute to the Saudi Green Initiative and the city Sustainability Strategy. Everything would be done “to ensure Expo 2030 follows the values of environmental protection”.
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