A new institute has opened in Buraidah to train staff for the Saudi Railway Company.

The Saudi Railway Polytechnic is run by a British institute and liaises with several colleges in the Kingdom.

The institute can accommodate up to 3,000 students between the ages of 19 and 23. Students complete a two-week assessment before gaining acceptance.

Courses will take three years to complete and cover both general skills training, such as English-speaking courses, as well as specific courses in railway disciplines, including infrastructure and train operations.

Emphasis will be placed on on-the-job training in particular.

“We need a specialized cadre to go hand in hand with railway development,” said Muhammad Al-Suwaiket, president of the Saudi Railways Organization.

“There is need for scientific institutions to produce technicians, leaders and train supervisors, as well as engineers who specialize in all the various disciplines of the railways industry.”

The Kingdom has a huge number of universities that need to accommodate such a discipline as a major for students since it is an independent science, he said.

“This discipline can be subsumed under the civil, mechanical or electrical engineering majors depending on which aspect of the job candidates seek to specialize in. As such, it is unnecessary to open up separate colleges.”

“The Ministry of Higher Education should look into this suggestion since the labor market is in need of specialized staff to cater to big railways projects. In fact, the project will need hundreds of engineers in this field,” he said.

New train drivers undergo lengthy training courses that begin with abstract training courses for six months and then a training course on using communication devices for another six months. Drivers then work as assistant commanders in the train squares during specific shifts in order to eventually become qualified.

“Even passing theory and practical exams, drivers can only be commanders of goods/merchandise freights on major railways. Only when they are evaluated by their superiors can they drive passenger trains. This takes around three to five years,” said Al-Suwaiket.