Hassan Al-Shawi has been director of the licensing and permits department at the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information since January 2021. He has also been a member of the geospatial data governance team since September 2019.
Before joining the authority, he was a manager at the department of photogrammetry and aerial survey from March 2020 until January 2021. He prepared the rules and conditions for issuing permits for photogrammetry and aerial surveys, panoramic photography, similar technologies and marine hydrographic surveys and their guidelines.
He was a manager of the technical affairs department at the General Administration of Map Production from October 2020 until January 2021, a secretariat member of the National Geospatial Center from October 2019 until August 2020, and was a member of the development team at the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information from September 2019 to February 2020.
Before that, he was a surveying engineer in the General Administration of Map Production at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs from January 2019 to September 2019, and project manager at Aerial Imaging Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd. from August 2018 until June 2019.
He was also a surveyor at Badan Agricultural & Contracting Co. Ltd from December 2017 until June 2019, and a surveyor at Al Fozan Trading & General Construction Co. from April to October in 2015.
He specializes in strategies, policies and rules governing the survey and geospatial information sector, stimulating investment, raising spending efficiency, monitoring and supervision, and creating, producing and analyzing geospatial data.
Al-Shawi has more than seven years’ experience and knowledge in implementing strategies, programs and organizational projects to improve the national geospatial infrastructure.
He has experience dealing with diverse systems that contribute to raising the quality of life in the economic, social, environmental and strategic aspects of the transition to digital twinning, smart cities, ecological balances and harmony between the components of the national data infrastructure. He has also managed operational projects of photogrammetry and aerial and ground surveys.
He is a member of several advisory and executive committees and has represented the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information at the Council of Ministers.
Al-Shawi holds a bachelor’s degree in surveying engineering. He is completing a master’s degree at King Saud University in geospatial information systems.
Who’s Who: Hassan Al-Shawi, director at Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information
https://arab.news/rcemr
Who’s Who: Hassan Al-Shawi, director at Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information
Saudi Arabia plans Riyadh-Jeddah railway by 2034
- Saudi Railway Co. CEO speaks to media on future transport plans
JEDDAH: Saudi Railway Co. CEO Bashar Al-Malik announced that a new railway linking Riyadh and Jeddah is planned to be completed in phases by 2034.
In an interview with Rotana Khalejia broadcaster Abdullah Al-Mudaifer, Al-Malik discussed the Kingdom’s rail network, its history, and major current and future projects.
He confirmed that the Riyadh-Jeddah line forms part of the Saudi Landbridge project, one of the most ambitious transport initiatives in the Kingdom.
Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh Al-Jasser had said in an interview in 2022 that the Landbridge is being developed with an international consortium led by a Chinese company. He estimated the project could be completed within five to seven years.
According to Al-Jasser, the route, cost, and seven logistics hubs have already been identified. The railway will extend from Yanbu to King Abdullah Economic City, then to Jeddah and Riyadh, before linking with the Eastern Railway and the Northern Railway.
The project includes upgrading the existing Riyadh–Eastern Province line to meet modern technical standards. The total cost could reach SR100 billion ($26.67 billion), making it a transformative project for the Kingdom’s logistics sector.
Al-Malik said contracts have not yet been signed, emphasizing that the railway company will proceed only once an agreement is reached that fully meets Saudi Arabia’s needs and ambitions. A ministerial committee has been formed to oversee the project, which is scheduled for completion by 2034.
Al-Malik also highlighted the proposed Riyadh-Doha railway, describing it as the region’s first high-speed rail link between two neighboring countries.
The 785 km network will serve Riyadh, Hofuf, Dammam, and Doha, with five stations in total, including two in the Qatari capital. Trains are expected to operate at speeds of at least 300 kph.
He added that Saudi Arabia aims to increase rail’s share of transport to 30 percent following completion of the Landbridge and future GCC-wide rail connections.
Under the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, railways are receiving the largest share of investment through 2030.
After a long pause in railway development after the opening of the Riyadh-Dammam line in 1950, the Kingdom now operates about 4,000 km of railways and plans to add at least 2,000 km more.
Currently, SAR trains serve ports in Dammam, Ras Al-Khair, Jubail (commercial and industrial), and the Riyadh Dry Port. Future plans include extending rail connections to Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdullah Economic City Port, and Yanbu Port.
Al-Malik said up to 10 additional trains could be added to the Northern Railway, which currently operates six trains and is considered among the world’s most advanced rail routes. The tender is expected in the third quarter of this year.
Discussing the Haramain High-Speed Railway, Al-Malik described it as “a unique, passenger-only system” connecting Islam’s two holiest cities.
The service operates at speeds of up to 300 kph, making it one of the world’s 10 fastest trains. It runs 35 trains and links Makkah with stations in Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport, King Abdullah Economic City, and Madinah.
Responding to user feedback, Al-Malik said the railway company will launch a new unified mobile application before the end of the year, providing a single platform for all intercity train services in the Kingdom.
He also highlighted training programs for high-speed train drivers, noting strong participation from Saudi women — a rare trend globally — and praising their outstanding performance.
