RIYADH: Saudi Arabia Railways has launched a railway service linking the north and east networks through Jubail Industrial City.

SAR said the new internal network will serve the industrial facilities in Jubail Industrial City and extends from Sadara Co. in Jubail to King Fahad Industrial Port and Jubail Commercial Port in Jubail.

More than 6 million tons of liquid and solid materials are expected to be transported annually from King Fahd Port, it said. 

In an interview with CNBC Arabia, the CEO said the cost of the railway project is SR2 billion ($532 million).

Bashar AlMalik pointed out that the project will allow all industrial and commercial facilities benefiting from the railway network to reach three ports through the train with great ease and flexibility. 

SAR added that this connection would contribute to providing integrated solutions and complete logistical services by linking the commercial and industrial ports in Dammam and Jubail with the train network.

This happens as the newly launched network aims to reduce carbon emissions from other means of transportation and increase the carrying capacity of the freight train.
 The Public Transport Authority indicated that the new project will displace over 200,000 trucks annually, which will support the logistic sector and preserve the environment and infrastructure, according to Asharq Alawsat.
 In an interview with Alarabiya, the Saudi Minister of Transport said these projects will help in improving the infrastructure in the Kingdom, adding that 450,000 trucks will be removed from the roads to reduce congestion. “We aim to remove one million trucks from the roads through future projects,” Saleh Al-Jasser said.

The minister explained that the national strategy for transport and logistics, with investments exceeding SR500 billion, invloves major projects, including linking the east and west of the Kingdom via railways, as well as the new Riyadh airport project.

On Sunday, the Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani, signed two contracts totaling SR642 million to deepen and establish new berths at Jeddah Islamic port.

The two contracts were signed with contractors PC Marine Services and Modern Building Leaders, the latter in a consortium with Huta Hegerfeld Saudia, according to a statement. 

In line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, this comes as part of the authority’s growth in the maritime transport and logistics industry.