JEDDAH, 18 January — Communications Minister Dr. Nasir Al-Salloum has called on the private sector to participate in a major project aimed at linking various parts of the Kingdom by a state-of-the-art railway network.
"This project is aimed not only at improving communications facilities but also to meet the international economic needs," the minister told a group of businessmen at the general secretariat of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Khaled Al-Yahya, president of the Saudi Railways Organization, Abdul Rahman Al-Jeraisy, vice chairman of the council and chairman of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Osama Al-Kurdi, secretary-general of the council.
Salloum said the railways network would help transport large volumes of cargo at relatively low cost. Therefore, expansion of the rail network is essential to promote national industries, he added.
The minister said the railways was one of the public ventures earmarked for privatization. He underscored the remarkable progress achieved by the Kingdom's railways during the past five Five-Year Development Plans. "We have established a number of railway stations and operated express trains to improve services."
Jeraisy said the call to invest in railways was part of the government's policy to enhance the private sector's involvement in the economic development of the country. Kurdi said the Council of Saudi Chambers would encourage the private sector to invest in the railway project which has been found economically feasible.
The meeting, which included an open dialogue between the minister and businessmen, lasted for about two hours.
