The $140m North-South Railway line, which will connect Jeddah’s northern mineral area with processing sites in the south, is set to be ready for freight movement by 2010.
The 2,400km-long line, a high priority project for the country’s economic development, is sponsored by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The line will extend from Haditha point and pass through Jouf, Hail, Qassim and Sudair on route to Riyadh. It will facilitate transportation of phosphate and bauxite, oil, agricultural and industrial products.
The project is being carried out by Louis Berger Group, SYSTRA, Canarail and Saudi Consolidated Engineering.
A passenger rail line that connects Riyadh, Sudair, Qassim and Hail is also under construction and will be ready in 2012.
Alongside these projects, the Kingdom is developing an additional 3,900km of new rail lines, which include the 950km Landbridge Project that will connect the Kingdom’s east and west regions, and the Haramain railway line – a 450km high speed line that will connect Jeddah with Makkah and Madina.
