DAMMAM, 25 June 2007 — The Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) declared that six consortia, out of seven, which applied for the construction of the railway project to link the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah are eligible to compete for the contract, a statement from the steering committee of the Saudi Railway’s expansion projects said yesterday.
The approved consortia are the Al-Rajhi Consortium, the Saudi Binladin Group, the Saudi Oger, the Saudi Japanese Consortium, Al-Sholah Consortium and the OHL International, the statement said. The SRO issued the approval after receiving a technical report on these consortia from the UBS Bank, National Commercial Bank and the French firm SNCFI.
Transport Minister Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry, chairman of SRO, said in a press meeting in Dammam yesterday that the six qualified consortia had submitted their applications sufficiently in advance supplying all the details about the expertise and financial position of the companies that comprised their consortia.
“These consortia will be invited to submit their tenders in a few months,” Al-Seraisry said. The tenders will be evaluated on the basis of their technical preparedness and the financial strength to undertake the work fulfilling international specifications. Only the tenders that fulfill the technical specifications will be considered for the final work tender, the minister said.
The SRO is seeking a technically advanced transportation solution for the Haj and Umrah pilgrims traveling between Makkah and Madinah, which is economic to construct, easy to maintain and at the same time meets the requirements of passenger comfort, safety and environment.
The proposed railway is intended to transport the majority of more than 3 million pilgrims during Hajj period between the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah, apart from the Umrah pilgrims and visitors in other months. The Kingdom’s railway organization has sought tenders from national and international companies to build the 444-km Makkah-Madinah rail link via Jeddah. The rail link, as reported, is meant exclusively for the passenger transportation and will not be used to carry cargo. In addition to the Makkah-Madinah line, the SRO is considering a rail project to link the holy sites of Mina and Arafat with Makkah.
