RELATED ARTICLES: TATA Steel to manufacture 60,000 tonnes of steel for Holy Cities railway | RDHC approves Riyadh development plans | Jeddah’s Haramain rail station 27% finished Saudi Railway Organization (SRO) president, Mohammed Al-Suwaiket, has outlined the mega projects undertaken by the country under its railway expansion program. His comments came during SRO’s participation in the third edition of the three-day US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum. At the conference that ended in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Al-Suwaiket informed participants that the projects were approved by the Supreme Economic Council and stressed the immense value added to the national economy through these projects. Al-Suwaiket presented a visual display of the Saudi Railway Master Plan (SRMP) 2010-2040, stating a conceptual framework for the long term development of a future passenger and freight transport network in the country is the main objective of the plan. He went on to explain SRO’s 450 km rail track, Haramain High Speed Rail Project, connecting Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, expected to feature high-speed electric trains running at 300 kilometres per hour. Al-Suwaiket said the project is being implemented by an initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, who intends to provide better transport services for Haj and Umrah pilgrims. The presentation included projects of the next phase, such as the GCC train project, the north-south train project by the Saudi Railways Company, the Landbridge Project and the light train projects implemented in the main cities of the Kingdom, he said. Al-Suwaiket added the Saudi Railways COmmission aimed to regulate the activity of rail transport by overseeing the operating efficiency, verifying the application of safety procedures and granting license of operation and safety certification. Sessions at the 3rd US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum highlighted the countries’ commercial and trade relationship, and the growth of the transport sector in the Kingdom, due to massive investments and voluminous projects was also pointed out at the event.
SRO president outlines rail projects at Los Angeles event
