Siemens presented the first driverless Inspiro metro train for the Riyadh Metro Line 1 (Blue Line) to representatives from Arriyadh Development Authority (ARA) at the InnoTrans exhibition in Berlin.
As part of the Bechtel-led Bacs consortium, Siemens is supplying 45 four-car trains for Line 1 and 29 two-car trains for Line 2 (Red Line) together with automatic train control and electrification systems for the two lines.
The 75.7m-long aluminium-bodied four-car trains are designed to accommodate up to 522 passengers – 123 of them seated – across first-, family- and second-class accommodation.
Each car has six sets of sliding doors and two HVAC units, which are designed to operate in ambient temperatures as high as 55°C. The trains also feature LED interior lighting and full-width gangways. More info
By  John Bambridge  www.constructionweekonline.com
