Saudi Arabia to float tenders for major rail projects soon

Saudi Arabia will soon float tenders for the development of Riyadh-Dammam Line and the Land Bridge Project that will connect with the GCC railway network, Khalid Al Sultan, vice president – infrastructure, Saudi Railway Company (SAR), said on Monday. 

The Riyadh-Dammam Line project consists of a 449-kilometer passenger line between the two cities; a 546-kilometer freight line connecting King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam with Riyadh; and a 400-kilometer sub-line connecting industrial, agricultural and military sites with export ports and residential areas. 

The Land Bridge will extend from Jeddah to Riyadh, covering a length of nearly 1000 kilometer of double-track. 

Addressing the Middle East Rail conference in Dubai, Al Sultan said that SAR was keen to work with the private sector on multiple new projects. 

These include a 340-kilometer double-track Yanbu to Jeddah connection, a 40-kilometer double-track network in Riyadh, as well as a new dry port (connecting SAR and Saudi Railway Organization networks in Riyadh and a new dry port to be situated outside of Riyadh).

Earlier in the day, Abdullah Salem Al Kathiri, director general of the UAE's Federal Authority for Land and Marine Transport said Saudi Arabia and the UAE will have a rail link by the end of 2021.