JEDDAH, 27 February 2005 — Minister of Transport Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry has said his ministry is considering the introduction of a new city public transport system. The project would utilize light trains and new buses in order to serve major Saudi cities and ease traffic congestion.
Al-Seraisry said the ministry was working with the Jeddah Municipality to introduce the new system in the city. Plans call for the use of Al-Malik Road which runs through the city from north to south as the initial phase of the project which will later be extended to other parts of the city.
The minister said technical problems associated with the nature of city public transport had delayed the launching of such projects, most importantly the problem of the land within the city required for the transportation lines.
The ministry, he said, was working to solve these and other problems both in Jeddah and in other cities of the Kingdom. The aim is to relieve the increasing traffic congestion.
The ministry is also working on solutions to facilitate land transport between Arab countries and increase the volume of inter-Arab trade. Noting that this trade is relatively modest, the minister said the solution lay not only in building roads but also in developing policies that encouraged trade exchanges.
“We are working within the framework of the Arab League to overcome the problems that obstruct free transport between Arab countries. An agreement will soon be signed by Arab countries to boost inter-Arab transport,” the minister said.
After a meeting with top officials of the ministry last July, Al-Seraisry said efforts were under way to reform the public transport system in major to serve a burgeoning urban population.
A committee entrusted with studying the proposal has traveled to several countries and would visit others to gather information about the best means for implementing the proposed system.
