RIYADH, 11 March 2004 — The Kingdom plans to build a 1,600 km railway line linking the Northern Region with the Eastern Province via Riyadh. The proposed line will run from Qurayyat to Jubail, passing through Abu Ajram, Hail, Buraidah, Riyadh, Al-Kharj and Hofuf.
Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf has signed a contract with a consortium of Saudi, French and Canadian companies to carry out a feasibility study. A total of 60 percent of the SR36 million technical study project will be funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the balance in equal shares from Maaden — Saudi Arabian Mining Company — and Saudi Oger. The duration of the study will be 18 months.
The study is expected to give specifications for tender procedures for construction of the railway line. It will also include clear information about the route, stations, signal lights, service areas, railway crossings, control stations and all other ancillary technical necessities.
Maaden will construct a mining industrial complex in the Eastern Province so that ore and bauxite from the northern and central regions can be transported and refined there. Other facilities in the complex will be an aluminum refinery, an aluminum smelter and a giant power generator.
