Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) President Mohammed Al-Suwaiket, taking part in the three-day 3rd US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum that ended in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday, pointed out the mega projects carried out by the Kingdom under the railway expansion program. He pointed out that the projects had the approval of the Supreme Economic Council and underlined the immense value added to the national economy through these projects.

Al-Suwaiket added that he presented a visual display of the Saudi Railway Master Plan (SRMP) 2010-2040, and explained the main objective of the plan which is to have a conceptual framework in place for the long term development of a future passenger and freight transport network for the Kingdom.

He also gave a detailed explanation about SRO’s Haramain High Speed Rail Project, a 450 km rail track connecting Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, which will be equipped with high speed electric trains running at 300 km per hour. The project is being implemented at the initiative of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who wants to provide better transport services for Haj and Umrah pilgrims, he said.

Also, he added, the presentation included projects of the next phase such as the GCC train project, the north-south train project by the Saudi Railways Company, the Landbridge Project and the light train projects implemented in the main cities of the Kingdom.

Pointing out the functions of the Saudi Railways Commission, he said it aimed to regulate the activity of rail transport by overseeing the operating efficiency, verifying the application of safety procedures and granting license of operation and safety certification.

The 3rd US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum opened with the participation of senior Saudi and US officials as well as specialists and experts. The various sessions highlighted the US-Saudi commercial and trade relationship, and how US companies could participate in the Kingdom’s extraordinary economic growth through its mega projects in several areas.

It was pointed out that the transport sector in particular is witnessing a huge growth due to massive investments and voluminous projects across the Kingdom.