JEDDAH, 31 March 2005 — Saudi Arabia’s landmark railway expansion project, which links its east with the west as well as the cities of Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, has made remarkable headway. Many international companies have expressed interest in the multibillion dollar venture.
“Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) has invited leading North American, European and Japanese companies specialized in operating high speed trains to present their proposals on the latest technologies,” said Khaled Alyahya, its president. SRO will study their offers in order to select preferred technology.
The project involves construction of 950 km new tracks between Riyadh and Jeddah and another 115-km line between Dammam and Jubail as well as upgrading of the existing rail link between Riyadh and Dammam.
“Many international companies have expressed interest in the giant project by responding to SRO’s invitation,” Alyahya said in reference to the western line of the project linking Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah.
A major Italian company yesterday presented its proposals to Transport Minister Dr. Jebara Al-Seraisry during a meeting, which was attended by SRO’s technical team and consultants. The offer was based on the Italian speed train technology.
“We hope the coming weeks will witness similar proposals from North American, German, Japanese and French companies. In the light of these offers we will set out operational requirements and technical standards that suit the Kingdom’s environment and conditions,” he said.
Referring to the studies conducted by financial and technical advisers, Alyahya said the studies, which focused on passenger demand and ticket price, were in the final stages. “They have interviewed some 2,500 passengers at different places and times including Haj and Ramadan seasons,” he said.
“The result of these studies clearly shows that there is considerable demand for train service between Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah and this project will have a lot of social and economic benefits,” Alyahya said, adding that it would also serve pilgrims and visitors of the two holy mosques.
He denied press reports that French companies would be given priority in carrying out the railway expansion project. “The two projects (including the land bridge) will be implemented after inviting tenders from international companies and the winners of contracts will be selected in accordance with international norms,” he added.
Certain international companies currently monopolize speed train technology. “We don’t want to set out certain specific standards in order to give an impression that the Kingdom gives priority to the technology of a particular company. We want to keep the field open for all companies and investors to propose technical and financial solutions to implement the project,” he added.
The proposed land bridge will reduce travel time between Riyadh and Jeddah by at least five hours depending on the type of trains used. “There are two options: One, to operate high speed trains averaging 220 km per hour, and the other to operate regular trains with sleeper coaches,” Alyahya said.
He said cargo trains would be able to cover the distance between Jeddah and Dammam within 24 hours. “The new railway project will promote travel and freight transportation in the whole Gulf region,” he added. He described the project as one of the largest BOT schemes ever undertaken in the region.
