Project Success Story: Car Park Gas Detection for Riyadh Metro
- Aug 27
- 3 min read
Carbon monoxide is the hazard nobody sees. In an enclosed car park it is produced continuously, it varies with traffic and ventilation, and it gives no warning at the concentrations that matter. The detection system is the only thing standing between that hazard and the public — which means it has to work permanently, across the entire footprint, without a single blind spot.
When Riyadh Metro required car park gas detection for two of its stations, ATCO was engaged to supply, test and commission the complete system — and to make it work with the infrastructure already running in those stations.
The Challenge
Delivering a life-safety system into a public metro environment carries constraints that go well beyond the equipment itself.
A permanent hazard with no manual fallback. Periodic checks cannot cover a risk that is continuously generated and invisible. The system had to provide unbroken monitoring from the moment of handover, with no interim arrangement to fall back on.
Integration with systems already in service. Alarm and fault signals had to be handed cleanly to the existing Building Management System and Fire Alarm System — neither of which was being modified for this project. ATCO's system had to adapt to them, not the other way round.
Coverage across large, distributed parking areas. Detection had to be consistent across the full footprint of both car parks, not concentrated where installation was easiest. Getting that right is a design problem before it is an installation one.
Communication reliability appropriate to a safety system. A distributed architecture multiplies the number of links between a sensor and the operator who needs to act. Every one of those links is a potential point of failure in a system where silent failure is the worst outcome.
Two stations, one consistent standard. Both car parks had to be delivered to the same engineering standard and behave identically for the operators and maintenance teams who would inherit them.
Our Solution
ATCO Solutions designed and delivered an integrated gas detection system built on the Honeywell ControlEdge RTU platform, selected for its proven reliability in critical monitoring applications and its long-term supportability. The delivered solution provided:
Continuous carbon monoxide monitoring across the parking facilities at both stations.
A distributed detection configuration, with field panels positioned to give consistent coverage across large areas.
Real-time monitoring and centralized alarm management.
A fiber-based communication network linking field panels back to a central point, chosen for reliability over the distances involved.
Alarm and fault signal integration with both the Building Management System and the Fire Alarm System.
A scalable, maintainable architecture that supports future expansion without redesigning.
Across the two stations, ATCO commissioned 162 CO sensors and 30 Honeywell ControlEdge RTU panels.
Critically, this was delivered as a single accountable scope. Supply, testing and commissioning sat with one party, which meant interface questions between the detection system and the stations' existing BMS and fire alarm infrastructure were resolved by ATCO rather than escalated back to the customer. The client received a working, integrated system — not a delivery of parts and a list of open items.
Results
Beyond the delivery numbers, the completed system changed how both stations manage a persistent operational risk:
Enhanced safety monitoring. Continuous coverage replaces periodic checks, across the full parking footprint of both stations.
Faster response to hazardous conditions. Alarms surface immediately at the systems operators already watch, rather than in a separate interface someone has to remember to check.
Real-time fault reporting. The system reports on its own health, so degraded detection is visible rather than silent — the failure mode that matters most in a life safety system.
Centralized operational visibility. Both stations' gas detection status sits alongside the rest of the building's alarm picture, not in a silo.
Reduced operational burden. Automated monitoring and fault reporting free maintenance teams from routine verification work.
A platform, not a point solution. The architecture is built to be extended and maintained across the life of the asset, without redesigning as the stations evolve.
Complexity Handled, Not Passed On
The hard part of a project like this is rarely the detection technology. It is making a new safety system behave correctly alongside infrastructure that is already live, already commissioned, and not available to be changed.
That is where integration experience earns its place. ATCO worked to the stations' existing systems, resolved the interface detail directly, and handed over a system that was fully integrated on day one — combining the right technology partner with the engineering depth to make it fit its environment.
Partner with ATCO Today
Whether you're building new infrastructure or upgrading systems already in service, ATCO delivers automation, instrumentation and safety solutions engineered for reliability — and for the environment they have to work in.
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