Saudi Arabia's ambition of a better and bigger railway is starting to come into life with the new huge railway project in the Western Province. The construction of the railway project connecting Jeddah, Makkah, and Madina will kick off by the end of this year to boost the quality of transportation system in the three cities. The government will grant concessions to the private sector for the construction and operation of the new railway network via a Build Operate Transfer contract. The railway route map has been designed to pass through the vast plains in the Western Province parallel with the highways connecting the three cities to avoid any natural obstacles set by mountains, hills, or valleys. Designed with the holiness of the place in mind, the 570-km railway from Makkah to Madina will be parallel in most parts with the Road of Hijra which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) took when he moved from Makkah to Madina in 622 CE. Owners of the properties needed for the projects will be generously compensated. The railway network will have three major passenger stations in the three cities. In addition, a station at a little town in the Rabiq area called Sa'abir will be set up to serve King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, 70 km north of Jeddah, and surrounding areas which are expected to boom once the university is up and running. The railway network will also serve King Abdullah Economic City in Rabiq. High-speed electric trains will move passengers at 300 kph every one hour between Makkah and Madina, and every half an hour between Jeddah and Makkah. A typical capacity is 15 trains per hour and 800 passengers per train (as for the Eurostar sets), which implies a capacity of 12,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Train trips, however, will be increased during Haj and Umrah seasons. The concept of a railway network is not new to the Kingdom. In 1947, the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz, ordered the construction of a railway between Dammam Sea Port and Riyadh to transport bulk commodities. Four years later, King Abdul Aziz inaugurated the railway. In 1985, a new shortcut 499-km railway between Dammam and Riyadh was constructed, slashing the travel time from seven hours to four. Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) was first started in 1949 as ordered by King Abdul Aziz. As part of its expansion plans, the SRO has now started the work on the Saudi Land-Bridge, a project planned to transform the existing railway network in Saudi Arabia into a world-class freight and passenger rail link across the country. It will be capable of moving large quantities of cargo over long distances at competitive rates and will offer safe and comfortable overland passenger transport. The railway will connect the sea port cities of Jeddah, Dammam and Jubail and will pass through the capital city Riyadh to serve its dry port. The Project will involve the construction of a 950 km line between Riyadh and Jeddah and a 115 km line between Dammam and Jubail. – Okaz __
