A major new rail network will be constructed in Saudi Arabia after the terms of three multi-billion dollar contracts were agreed.

The government has dished out deals worth $22.5 billion (£14.3 billion) to a trio of consortiums - one led by US firm Bechtel Corp, another fronted by Spain's Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas and a third headed by Italy's Ansaldo STS.

Design work for the Riyadh metro rail system will begin immediately and builders hope to be in a position to start the project in early 2014.

Once it begins, the development will be the largest ongoing public transport scheme in the world.

Ibrahim Bin Muhammad Al Sultan, head of the government body overseeing the project, said the network will not only improve accessibility to the capital, it will also drive employment and economic development.

This is just one example of the radical work being undertaken in the Middle East.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, the expansion of Dubai's public transport offerings in recent years has been remarkable and plans are in place to enhance the emirate's infrastructure even further in the near future.