A British consortium has been awarded a contract by the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) to support the operation of the new North South Railway (NSR).
The consortium, which comprises Serco, Network Rail Consulting and Freightliner Group, will provide management and technical support for infrastructure, freight and passenger operations.
The North South Railway Network is a 2,750-kilometre mixed-traffic railway stretching from Riyadh to Al Haditha near the Jordanian border. It also includes a second line from the Al-Jalamid mine to Ras AlKhair on the coast of the Arabian Gulf.
Dr Rumaih al Rumaih, chief executive of the Saudi Railway Company (SAR), said: “In order to manage this new network, SAR went out to tender and invited a number of companies, based on their international experience in rail operations and infrastructure management, in order to support SAR.
“SAR’s vision is to implement world-class railway practises and deliver the highest standard of technical, commercial and operational service excellence to all SAR customers, as well as to ensure the transfer of technical and operating knowledge and skills, including training, to provide long-term employment opportunities for Saudis, to operate the rail network and develop the railway industry in Saudi Arabia.”
Nigel Ash, managing director of Network Rail Consulting, said: “One of our goals when we launched Network Rail Consulting in 2012 was to export British rail expertise around the world and this long-term contract with SAR firmly establishes us in the Middle East, where other state-owned European railway consultancy arms have been successful for many years.”
