Bombardier monorail Saudi Arabia concept, Courtesy Bombardier

The Canadian aviation and train giant, Bombardier, announced today it has signed an agreement worth $241-million to provide a monorail system in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The contract marks the first project for the Canadian company in the country.

The monorail will stretch up to 3.6km with six stations, and will be operate on a fully automated basis. The entire system will include 12 cars in total and will be situated in the heart of the city’s growing financial district.

Bombardier will be responsible for the implementation of the entire project, including manufacturing the locomotives, installation, and testing, and continued maintenance for up to ten years starting when the system is functional.

The engineering design work will be done in Ontario, Canada, while the actual manufacturing work will all be done in Pittsburgh, United States.

The system is expected to be operational by the end of 2012.

Bombardier President and Chief Operating Officer, André Navarri, said today in a statement, “We are exceptionally proud to secure our first major project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to be associated with the prestigious King Abdullah Financial District,”