Still on track

Rail projects around the region will transform travelling for tourists, residents and freight.

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The entire project, around SR18.7 billion in value, includes the construction of a 115km line between Dammam and Jubail, a connection to the new Riyadh-Jeddah and Dammam-Jubail lines, a 610km railway line between Riyadh and Hudaitha at the border post with Jordan. It will eventually deliver both passengers and freight, and allow an increase of cargo volumes by 19.5% to 30 million tonnes.

The North-South Railway, a US $2.8 billion project, will link bauxite and phosphorus mines in the north of the country with processing and export facilities at Ras Al Zour.

Last April, Saudi Binladin Group and the French defence firm Thales signed a SAR 2 billion contract to build signaling systems for a 1,800km section.
 

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The contract for the 600km section linking Riyadh with Al Zubairah in the north that includes a passenger line, is still up for grabs.

The development, part of an extraordinary investment spree by the Kingdom, might be well-timed: PricewaterhouseCoopers research found that 25% (1.1 million) of Saudi citizens in rural areas have no access to rural transport (by total population and its RAI index).

Chinese companies are likely to be in the frame for consideration. Last February, China Railway Construction Company was hired to develop a light rail system to link the holy sites of Makkah, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

At an estimated cost of SR6.65 billion, the new network aims to alleviate congestion during Hajj, and will reduce journey times to just half an hour, compared with the five-hour car journey between Madinah and Makkah.

CRCC is working on the project with the Al-Rajhi construction group and French firm Alstom.

Rail projects across the Gulf

1 Haramain High Speed Rail Project – phase 2
Client: Saudi Railways Organisation
Value: US$2 billion
Main consultant: Scott Wilson Co Ltd (Project Manager)
Country: Saudi Arabia
Duration: Q4 2010 to Q1 2013 (both estimates)
Schedule: Bids for the main construction contract are already submitted. Bids are under evaluation.

2 Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University Monorail (Riyadh)
Client: Ministry of Finance
Value: US$320 million
Main contractors: Saudi Binladin Group, Ansaldo STSMain, AnsaldoBreda
Country: Saudi Arabia
Duration: Q32009 until Q32012
Schedule: A consortium of Saudi Binladin Group, Ansaldo STS and AnsaldoBreda was awarded the main construction contract in 2nd quarter of 2009. Contract duration is three years.

3 UAE Rail Network
Client: Etihad Railways Company
Value: US$8 billion
Duration: Q42010 until Q42015
Schedule: After the tenders seen already this year, the execution is set to begin at the end of 2010.

4 Makkah Metro
Client: Ministry of Transport, Higher Commission for the Development of Makkah and Madinah, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority
Value: US$1.8 billion
Main contractors: China Railway Construction Corp., Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors, Siemens WLL (power supply), Lloyds (safety), Changchun Railway Vehicles Company
Main Consultant: WS Atkins Global, Systra Consulting Co. Duration: Q12009 until Q12011.
Schedule: Phase 1, including the infrastructure, is already complete.

5 Riyadh Metro
Client: Arriyadh Development Authority
Value: US$1.8 billion
Main Contractors: CAF (Train Cars Provider)
Main Consultant: Main Consultant: Semaly
Main Consultant: Dar Alhandasah for Designing & Technical Consultants
Duration: Q1 2011 until Q1 2015 (both estimates)
Schedule: Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh region announced that plans are under way to build Riyadh Metro. Routes, detailed designs and engineering for Riyadh Metro are ready and awaiting budget allocation.