Schindler is delighted to announce its partnership with NESMA to supply vertical mobility solutions for the Makkah’s King Abdul Aziz Road (KAAR), a landmark project by the Umm Al-Qura Development and ConstructionCompany (UAQ). Schindler will supply the project – set to be completed by December 2021 – with 160 state of the art elevators and escalators improving the way citizens and visitors move within the busiest landmarks in the city of Makkah.
The King Abdul Aziz Road is a multi-billion Riyal investment targeted at providing more efficient multimodal transportation to a central pedestrian boulevard accommodating more than a 100,000 people travelling to and from the Al-Haram Mosque.
Yasser Abuateeq, MD & CEO of Umm AlQura for Development and Construction (UAQ), the owner and master developer of KAAR, stated: "The project aims mainly to improve the quality of life for the people of Makkah and its honorable visitors. Achieving this goal required the development of an integrated plan to leverage the level of urban development so that the project becomes an ideal model. The plan considers the size of the project, which is considered one of the most important developmental projects in the region, in a manner that realizes the aspirations of the Saudi leadership and Vision 2030 to establish Makkah city as a global cultural landmark."
Engineer Abdulmuhsin Albakr, VP Technical Affairs & Projects Development (UAQ), stated: “The project establishes a new mode of transportation as part of the urban development for the holy city of Makkah through facilitating the road networks, a BRT system, and a metro station along the metro line. It will also integrate well-structured accommodation in the form of hotels and serviced apartments alongside its supporting facilities and services such as a 60m wide pedestrian boulevard for commercial and retail use.”
Commenting on the importance of this project, Elsayed Abdulrahman, Sales and Marketing Director at Schindler Olayan, says: “We are thrilled to work on the KAAR project. As one of the biggest Public Transportation projects in Saudi Arabia and more so in the city of Holy Makkah, this project further enhances Schindler’s presence in the Country and reiterates our commitment to delivering top-notch mobility solutions. It is also a great opportunity to start our business partnership with Umm Al Quara, one of the main developers in Makkah, as well as, strengthening our business partnership with NESMA”.
Key to the project will be the connection the Holy Mosque will have with the soon to be completed high-speed rail terminal located to the city’s west. The high-speed rail line will provide a direct link to Jeddah and importantly to the King Abdul Aziz International Airport. Consequently, the development at KAAR will be a major international gateway to the Great Mosque. The multimodal transit network together with the boulevard will increase the accessibility around the Haram area. At peak periods this has been estimated to be as many as 150,000 people per hour. At over 3.5 km long and between 40-60m wide, the generous boulevard not only provides safe passage for people between the two landmarks but is also a genuine contribution to the city’s functional public open space.