September 08, 2008

Alstom to establish a high speed rail network in Saudi Arab

Saudi Gazette reported that French rail company Alstom Transport has revealed plans to establish a high speed rail network in Saudi Arabia, linking Jeddah and Madina with a journey time of just 90 minutes. The proposed network will be capable of transporting millions of Haj and Umrah pilgrims at speeds of up to 400 kilometer per hour.

Mr Francois Lacote VP of Alstom revealed plans for the 500 seat double decker trains at the French Technology Exhibition in Riyadh. The project, connecting Madina, Makkah and Jeddah is to be presented soon to the Saudi ministry of transport. He added that “We will build it as soon as it is approved by the Saudi ministry of transport.”

Mr Lacote said that a feasibility study had been undertaken to ensure the network could withstand extreme temperatures in Saudi Arabia. He added that “With just a little modification, our technology can cope with the high temperatures in Saudi Arabia. We have been awarded to do a 400 mile railway network project in Morocco and the same model can be applied to Saudi Arabia.”

It is noted that Saudi Arabia is planning to improve public transport with a massive national railway expansion project worth around USD 5 billion. The Saudi Railway Organization said in June 2007 that 6 consortia would compete for the contract to build a 444 kilometer railway linking Madinah and Makkah.