Rail transport in Saudi Arabia

Last updated

Rail transport in Saudi Arabia
النقل بالسكك الحديدية في السعودية
Talgo 350 SRO.jpg
Haramain High Speed Railway
Operation
National railway Saudi Arabia Railways
Track gauge
Main1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Map
Rail transport map of Saudi Arabia.png
Map of rail transport in Saudi Arabia as of 2009, including planned lines

Rail transport in Saudi Arabia is a growing sector of the country's transportation system, encompassing intercity, metro, and freight rail networks. [1]

Contents

History

Workers laying track for the Hejaz railway near Tabuk in 1906 Hejaz Rail track laying near Tabuk 1906.jpg
Workers laying track for the Hejaz railway near Tabuk in 1906

The first railway in the Arabian Peninsula was the Hejaz railway, constructed by the Ottoman Empire from Damascus to Medina. [2] This 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in) Narrow-gauge railway opened in 1908 but was closed in 1920 due to the Arab Revolt.

Construction of the Dammam-Riyadh railway in 1947 bn sk@ lHdyd fy ls`wdy@.webp
Construction of the Dammam–Riyadh railway in 1947

Modern railways were introduced in Saudi Arabia after World War II to transport goods for the Arabian American Oil Company, or Aramco (now Saudi Aramco), from ports on the Persian Gulf coast to warehouses in Dhahran. Construction began in September 1947, and the first line was inaugurated on 20 October 1951. Subsequent development projects included extending the line to Riyadh, building several passenger terminals, and opening a dry port in Riyadh. [3]

A Dammam-Riyadh railway train at Riyadh railway station Train, SAR Riyadh-Dammam Station, Riyadh.jpg
A Dammam–Riyadh railway train at Riyadh railway station

The Saudi Railways Organization was merged with the Saudi Railway Company to form the new Saudi Arabia Railways on 1 April 2021.

National rail network

Passenger Network

West Train (Haramain High Speed Railway)
North Train (Riyadh–Qurayyat railway)
A separate luxury service, the Dream of the Desert Train, also operates along this route. [4]
East Train (Dammam–Riyadh railway)

Freight Network

North–South railway
Primarily used for transporting minerals, phosphate, and industrial goods. Shares infrastructure with the Riyadh–Qurayyat railway.
Dammam–Riyadh railway
Used for bulk freight and container traffic between the eastern port of Dammam and Riyadh. branches with the Dammam–Riyadh passenger railway
Saudi Landbridge Project
Currently under development; planned to link the Red Sea port of Jeddah with Dammam to enable faster freight movement across the country.

Metro systems

See also

References

  1. ↑ Briginshaw, David (September 18, 2015). "CAF presents first passenger train to Saudi Railway Company".
  2. ↑ Daradkeh, Saleh Musa (June 11, 2014). "The Hijaz Railway". In Ababsa, Myriam (ed.). Atlas of Jordan : History, Territories and Society. Contemporain publications. Presses de l’Ifpo. pp. 205–208. ISBN   9782351594384 – via OpenEdition Books.
  3. ↑ "Establishment". Saudi Railways. Archived from the original on 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  4. ↑ "Dream of the Desert: Saudi Arabia's new luxury train with 33 suites". The National. International Media Investments. 29 October 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Saudi Arabia, Qatar sign high-speed rail link agreement connecting Riyadh and Doha". Saudi Gazette. 2025-12-08. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  6. ↑ "GCC railway project". Time Out Riyadh. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.