The Saudi transport ministry and the mayoralty of Jeddah have approved the first phase of the Red Sea port-city’smetro project.
Initially, the network will link the new King Abdulaziz International Airport, Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in downtown Al-Ruwais and Al-Khozam district. 
The approval comes after the conclusion of a study that showed the current underpasses being constructed in the city would not alleviate traffic jams and bottlenecks.
“The study showed that 96% of Jeddah’s inhabitants use vehicles as their primary mode of transportation and only 4% use public transportation,” the mayor of Jeddah, Hani Abu Rass, told the Saudi Gazette.
“This is hugely out of sync with the rest of the world where up to 70% of the population in major cities uses public transportation,” said Abu Rass.
