The railway company in Saudi Arabia has launched a Master Plan on transport providing a new dimension to railway transport. Until few years ago, the majority of Arab countries have not had railways and in the countries where railways existed, their standards were very obsolete compared to the European standards under constant development. Although most of them are rich countries, mainly due to their vast oil resources, they have not been interested in railway transport until recently, their attention and funds being directed to air and road transport. However, the recent railway revival or construction plans at national or transnational level, announced by a series of Arab countries, are observed with much interest by the railway world, especially by the players in the railway industry.
Saudi Arabia is one of these countries which announced the implementation of an extended programme on railway development which includes the construction of around 9,900 kilometres of railway network in three phases. The railway transport programme will be implemented from 2010 to 2040.
The country has enough financial resources and therefore the inauguration of railway passenger transport lines is expected in 2015. On the other hand, railway freight traffic is much more comprehensive. Cargo trains have been in operation since 2011 and they have since carried over 2 million tonnes of mineral resources.
The main objective of the Master Plan in Saudi Arabia is the establishment of a viable conceptual framework for the long-term development of a future freight and passenger transport network in the Kingdom.
“Saudi Arabia will build railway connections with the neighbouring countries and with the international markets in order to improve the investment climate and to facilitate economic diversification. These include aligning to the international practices and technical standards. This final aspect is very relevant for the interoperability of railway networks”, shows the transport programme 2010-2040.
The first phase, which has the highest priority, consists in the construction of 5,500 km of railways in 2010-2025. SAR 63 Billion (EUR 12.8 Billion) will be allocated for this first phase. The second phase, with medium priority, consists in the development of 3,000 km of railways in the period 2026-2033. SAR 209 Billion (EUR 42.6 Billion) will be allocated for the projects included in the first phase. The third phase, with the lowest priority, includes the modernisation of a network of 1,400 km of railways owned by the state, a network which is now obsolete. This phase will be carried out in the timeframe 2034-2040 and will rely on SAR 93 Billion (EUR 18.9 Billion).
The railway network included in the first development phase includes significant railway projects, some of which are already completed and others on-going. Thus, the double modernisation of the two existing railway lines between Dammam and Riyadh will take place. The development of the project in plan “Saudi Railway Platform” between Riyadh and Jeddah and between Dammam and Jubail has received the green light for the organisation of tenders. Another very important project is Haramain project which includes the high-speed connection of the cities of Mecca, Jeddah and Medina. This project is currently in construction and will be inaugurated in 2014.
Also, the first phase included the “North-South Mineral Line” which carries mineral resources between the northern regions, Ras Al Khair / Jubail and the capital Riyadh. This project also includes the connection to the proposed ESCWA network – the railway network in Jordan via Al Haditha. ESCWA is the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. The links to the network of the Persian Gulf countries are very important, with lines between Batha to the Saudi border with the United Arab Emirates – Hofuf and Jubail – Ras Al Khair –Kuwait border, as well as the connections with the future networks in Qatar and Bahrain.
According to the Saudi Railway Organisation, the comprehensive development plan 2010 – 2040 represents the basis for the long-term development of the railway network in Saudi Arabia.
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