JUBAIL — The Emir of Eastern Province Prince Saud bin Naif inaugurated the railway project linking the East Freight Train Network (Dammam - Riyadh) with the North Freight Train Network, passing through Jubail, in a ceremony held here on Sunday. He also opened the internal railway network project in the Jubail Industrial City. The inaugural ceremony was held in the presence of Minister of Transport and Logistics and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistics Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih, and CEO of SAR Dr. Bashar Al-Malik. The commercial operation of the project will begin in the first quarter of 2023, and this will be after completing the procedures and requirements of the Public Transport Authority in obtaining the operating license for the project. Speaking on the occasion, Prince Saud bin Naif said that the launch of the new railway projects in the region will be an important impetus for the development of the industrial sector and an important supporter of the Kingdom's exports of various commercial and industrial materials. He lauded the great success achieved in the completion of these projects, praising the efforts of all parties that worked to implement these projects. In his speech, Saleh Al-Jasser affirmed SAR's constant endeavor to implement projects with quality and perfection, in light of the great role played by it to enhance road transport in the Kingdom. The minister also highlighted the great importance represented by linking the North and East networks in the Eastern Province and the Jubail Industrial City network, and the contribution of these projects in a significant way in strengthening national industries and achieving the initiatives of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, one of the programs of the Saudi Vision 2030, in addition to making the Kingdom a global logistics region. For his part, Dr. Bashar Al-Malik stressed the importance of linking the North and East Rail Networks, and their contribution to providing logistical support to link the industrial and commercial ports in Dammam and Jubail with the train network, and achieving the national strategy for transport and logistics services. This will have a positive impact on transportation and the logistics movement at the local and regional levels, he pointed out. SAR noted that the internal Jubail network will serve the industrial facilities in Jubail Industrial City and extends from Sadara Co. in Jubail to King Fahd Industrial Port and Jubail Commercial Port in Jubail. More than six million tons of liquid and solid materials will be transported annually from King Fahd Port. It is noteworthy that the length of the railway linking the East Track and the North Track is 124 km, and it witnessed the implementation of three storage lines, three railway bridges, and seven road bridges. The length of the internal network project in Jubail Industrial City is 69 km, and this network serves factories located in the city of Jubail. It connects with King Fahd Industrial Port, Jubail Commercial Port, and the rest of the railway networks.
