The new railway line of approximately 2,400 km will play an important part in the improvement of the Saudi infrastructure.It will run from the Jordanian border in the north-west region of the country to the capital Riyadh and on to the Arabian Gulf.
Transport of raw materialsThe railway will be primarily carrying three kilometre-long ore-trains hauling bauxite and phosphates from mines in the central parts of the Kingdom to the coast. Here the raw materials are processed before being shipped out.
The railway will also be used for passenger and freight transport, carrying some 1.2 million passengers a year between Riyadh and the northern parts of the country at speeds of up to 160 km an hour.
Railway through the desert
"What sets this project apart is not only its scale but also its location, as the line will travel through extensive deserts where the height of the dunes poses an enormous challenge for the contractors," says Klavs Wassard Hestbek Lund, a project manager for COWI.
He adds, "The extreme differences in levels mean that embankments of up to 60 metres in height have to be constructed. In addition we face the problem of sand drift".
COWI is reviewing the detailed design of the project, which is being conducted for the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. The railway is expected to be put in operation in 2010. By Christina Tækker, cht@cowi.com Published: 1.8.2006