en.Wedoany.com Reported - Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) is advancing its land bridge project across the Arabian Peninsula, which will connect the industrial cities of Jubail and Dammam on the Persian Gulf with the capital Riyadh and the Red Sea port of Jeddah.
The project, spanning 1,500 kilometers and costing $7 billion, is part of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" plan. Construction of this dual passenger and freight railway began in December last year, and in April, SAR awarded the lead design contract to Spain's Sener/Typsa. According to multiple media reports, the project has not been affected by regional conflicts; instead, it has accelerated due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The project is expected to be completed by 2034, with a total cost of approximately $7 billion, but overall investment needs are estimated at $26.6 billion.
The land bridge aims to reduce the reliance of products and materials from Saudi Arabia's two major industrial zones, Jubail and Yanbu, on transportation through the Strait of Hormuz. The railway will serve both passenger and freight traffic, with passenger trains reaching a maximum speed of 250 km/h and freight trains up to 160 km/h, without offering high-speed rail services.
The project was initially designed as a public-private partnership model but later shifted to a phased implementation strategy to increase construction flexibility. SAR has divided the project into modular sections, allowing each part to proceed on a rolling schedule. Under the leadership of Sener/Typsa, the project is in an advanced planning stage, with the company developing construction packages that will be tendered in different phases. The Jubail-Dammam section was completed and put into operation in April 2024.
The scope of work includes constructing a new 950-kilometer double-track mixed-traffic railway line between Jeddah and Riyadh; upgrading the existing 450-kilometer railway network between Riyadh and Dammam; upgrading or extending the Dammam-Jubail railway section; building a bypass line around Riyadh to connect port cities; and extending the railway to the industrial city of Yanbu and King Abdullah Port. Partners include Hill International as a member of the project management consortium, and Italy's Italferr, which previously participated in detailed design from 2013 to 2017.
The Saudi China Landbridge Consortium is responsible for project delivery, with members including SAR, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), and Saudi company Al-Ayuni Contracting. Recent contract progress has activated engineering work and initiated localized structure contracts under the consortium's supervision. Key early construction packages include viaducts along the 35-kilometer Riyadh railway connection, signaling systems, utilities, and civil works. Work near the capital includes a 22.7-kilometer single-track railway, a 265-meter bridge crossing Highway HW615, and a 118-meter bridge crossing the Saudi Aramco pipeline.
The land bridge project is owned by the Saudi Arabian government through SAR, a state-owned enterprise fully controlled by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). PIF's role is to provide funding, strategic oversight, and integrate the project into other "Vision 2030" initiatives. Contract partners do not hold any ownership shares in the project.
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