Saudi Arabia Railways

Saudi Arabia Railways
الخطوط الحديدية السعودية
FormerlySaudi Railway Company
IndustryRail transport
Founded23 May 2006 (2006-05-23)
1 April 2021 (2021-04-01) (Current form)
HeadquartersDiplomatic Quarter, Building S-24,
Riyadh
,
Saudi Arabia
Key people
Nabil Al-Amoudi (Chairman)[1]
ParentPublic Investment Fund
Websitewww.sar.com.sa

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) is the national railway company of Saudi Arabia. It is a state-owned enterprise, owned by the PIF.[2][3]

History

Saudi Arabia Railways, formerly known as the Saudi Railway Company, was established in 2006 to build, operate, and manage the North–South railway.[4]

In February 2021, approval was granted to merge the Saudi Railways Organization and the Saudi Railway Company.[5] The merger was completed on 1 April 2021,[6] forming the unified national railway operator now known as Saudi Arabia Railways.[7][2]

Railways

See also: List of railway stations in Saudi Arabia

Passenger Network

West Train (Haramain High Speed Railway)
North Train (Riyadh–Qurayyat railway)
A separate luxury service, the Dream of the Desert Train, also operates along this route.[8]
East Train (Dammam–Riyadh railway)

Freight Network

North–South railway
Primarily used for transporting minerals, phosphate, and industrial goods. Shares infrastructure with the Riyadh–Qurayyat railway.
Dammam–Riyadh railway
Used for bulk freight and container traffic between the eastern port of Dammam and Riyadh. branches with the Dammam–Riyadh passenger railway
Saudi Landbridge Project
Currently under development; planned to link the Red Sea port of Jeddah with the Eastern Province to enable faster freight movement across the country.

Rolling stock

Electric and diesel trainsets

Class Image Top speed Number Remarks Built
mph km/h
Talgo 350 220 350 36 trainsets:
  • 72 power cars
  • 72 semi-articulated trailer cars
  • 396 articulated trailer cars
 Electric trainsets with 2 locomotive-like power cars, two semi-articulated end trailer cars and 11 articulated trailer passenger cars (Mc-T=11Ta=T-Mc). Including 35 regular passenger trains and 1 VIP train for royal family and officials. Operating on the Haramain High Speed Railway with 25 kV AC railway electrification. 2014-2018
SAR-200 CAF push–pull train 124 200 6 trainsets:
  • 12 power cars,
  • 62 trailer cars
 Diesel-electric trainsets with 2 locomotive-like power cars and 9 or 13 trailer cars (four standard day trains with Mc-9T-Mc formation and two sleeper night trains with Mc-13T-Mc formation). Operating on the Riyadh-Qurayyat Line.[9][10] 2013
SRO-180 CAF push–pull train 112 180 8 trainsets:
  • 10 power cars (5001-5010)
  • 32 trailer intermediate cars
  • 8 trailer control cars
 Diesel-electric trainsets with 1 locomotive-like power car, 4 intermediate trailer cars and 1 control car (Mc-4T-Tc formation). Two additional power cars built as reserves. Operating on the Dammam–Riyadh line. 2011

Diesel locomotives

Class Image Top speed Number Remarks Built
mph km/h
EMD SD70ACS 61 Diesel Locomotives [4][11] Heavy haul AC diesel-electric locomotives for a mineral railway.[12] 2010-2016
ALCO RS-1 65 105 6 Series 1000-1005 Diesel-electric locomotives. Originally Arabian American Oil Company A11x50-A11x51, 1002-1005. 1947–1951
EMD SW1001 5 Series 1022-1026 Order 818000 1/5 Diesel-electric locomotives.[13] 1981
NS Class 2400 (1954) 50 80 7 Secondhand Diesel-electric locomotives taken over from NS by Volker Stevin in 1976 for construction works for a seaport in Jubail. Former 2427, 2445, 2485, 2497, 2499, 2519, 2523. Renumbered into 101-107. Sold to Archirodon for rail reconstruction between Damman and Riyadh and renumbered to 276-04 - 276-09. Some scrapped in 1983. Others active until 1994 and stored in Hofuf afterwards.[14] 1954–56
EMD G18 16 Series 1006-1021 Orders 710971-710975, 713081-713082, 713233-713235, and 748005 1/6 Diesel-electric locomotives. 1968–1976
EMD GP18M 1 Series 1200 Order 700178; Diesel-electric locomotives.[13] rated at 1500 horsepower. 1961
EMD FP7A 2 Series 1500-1501 Order 7019; Diesel-electric locomotives taken over from Arabian American Oil Company (their 1006-1007).[15] 1953
EMD FP9A 7 Series 1502-1508 Orders 701553, 701493-701494, 702272-702275; Diesel-electric locomotives. 1956–1959
EMD GP38-2 1 Series 2000. Order 712783; Diesel-electric locomotives. 1973
EMD GPL38S 7 Series 2001-2007. Order 201288865; Diesel-electric locomotives. 2015
EMD GT22CW 3 Series 2001-2003. Order 748004; Diesel-electric locomotives. 1976
EMD SDL38-2 6 Series 2004-2009. Order 778050; Diesel-electric locomotives.[16] 1978
EMD SDL38 6 Series 2030-2035. Order 20148061; Diesel-electric locomotives. 2016
EMD SDL50 31 Series 3500-3530; Diesel-electric locomotives.[17] 1981–2005
EMD GT46ACS 17 Series 4300-4316. Orders 20118517 and 20148134; Diesel-electric locomotives 2013–2015
Class 319.2 75 120 >4 Diesel-electric locomotives bought second hand.[18]
CRRC Qishuyan SDD17 62 100 8 Diesel-electric locomotives. Ordered in December 2014 for the Dammam-Riyadh line, first 2 locomotives delivered in July 2015.[19][20] 2015-201?

See also

References

  1. ^ "Haramain Train to resume service within 30 days". Saudigazette. 1 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia Railways invites bids to supply next generation inter-city trains". Railway Gazette International.
  3. ^ "Saudi Arabia Railways phosphate train". Network Rail.
  4. ^ a b "Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. is Awarded New Locomotive Contract for 25 SD70ACS Locomotives from Saudi Railway Company (SAR)". Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Saudi Railways Organization and Saudi Railways Company merger approved". Global Railsay Review. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  6. ^ "سياسي / مجلس الوزراء يعقد جلسته ـ عبر الاتصال المرئي ـ برئاسة خادم الحرمين الشريفين وكالة الأنباء السعودية". 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Train travel in Saudi Arabia | Riyadh to Dammam trains". www.seat61.com.
  8. ^ "Dream of the Desert: Saudi Arabia's new luxury train with 33 suites". The National. International Media Investments. 29 October 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  9. ^ Push-Pull Train for the Saudi Railway Company (SAR).
  10. ^ "CAF wins contracts from Saudi Rail". 18 March 2012. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  11. ^ Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. Wins New Locomotive Contract for 25 SD70ACS Locomotives from Saudi Railway Company (SAR) Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ^ HaRakevet: Rothschild PhD, Rabbi Walter (2010), New mineral railway Issue 90.
  13. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia - Saudi Railways Organisation : Prototypes by Country - TT scale trains and models". Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  14. ^ Dierdorp, Sicco & Davy Beumer (2011), D.E.-Locomotieven serie 2200/2300 en 2400/2500. Alkmaar: De Alk.
  15. ^ "Pictures of SRO 1501". www.rrpicturearchives.net.
  16. ^ Ward, compiled by Jeffery S. "EMD 778050; SDL38-2; Saudi Arabia; Gov't Ry 2004-2009".
  17. ^ "RailPictures.Net Photo: SRO 3527 Saudi Railways Organization EMD SDL50 at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by Tom Hewitt". www.railpictures.net.
  18. ^ "World rolling stock market May 2014", www.railwaygazette.com, 11 May 2014, archived from the original on 1 August 2020, retrieved 29 January 2023.
  19. ^ International, Railway Gazette. "Qishuyan locos head for Saudi Arabia". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  20. ^ Barrow, Keith (29 July 2015). "Chinese locomotives shipped to Saudi Arabia". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  • SAR| Home - Saudi Arabia Railways official website
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