SAUDI Arabia Railways (SAR) has issued a young for lead design consultancy providers for the long-awaited Landbridge undertaking.
The contract will cowl the idea design and choices for the preliminary and Issued for Building (IFC) design phases of the undertaking, which goals to offer a direct hyperlink from Jubail Industrial Metropolis on the Arabian Gulf to King Abdullah Port and Yanbu Industrial Metropolis on the Purple Sea, north of Jeddah, through the Saudi capital Riyadh. The deadline for bids is Could 15.
The centrepiece of the estimated $US 7bn undertaking is the development of latest 950km railway between Riyadh and Jeddah. The Landbridge undertaking may also contain roughly 600km of further new development and upgrades to present strains. A consortium of Italy’s Italferr, Sener, Spain, and Hill Worldwide have been chosen as the popular bidders for a undertaking administration providers contract in December 2023.
The Saudi China Landbridge Consortium (SLCC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to implement the undertaking below a public-private partnership (PPP) in October 2018. Nevertheless, with SAR issuing the tender instantly, the Center East Financial Digest (Meed) means that the Saudi authorities is contemplating different choices alongside the Chinese language proposal to develop the Landbridge.
In a separate tender, SAR is in search of contractors to construct a brand new freight terminal and railway from Damman’s Second Industrial Metropolis to the present 559km Damman – Riyadh line.
The undertaking is predicted to take three years to finish and is estimated to value Riyals 720m ($US 192m). The undertaking will help SAR’s goal to spice up rail freight capability on its community.
Building can be cut up into six sections.
The primary part includes the improve of the Jubail Industrial Metropolis inner community, which is presently below development, and would require the development of 10km of latest observe.
The second is the improve of the present Jubail – Dammam line, which can also be presently below development and would require 35km of latest observe development.
The third part will contain an improve of the Dammam – Riyadh line, which incorporates the development of 87km of latest observe.
The fourth part, the Riyadh bypass, will join the present community within the north of the town to the south. It’s cut up into two packages: the primary has 67km of observe and the second has 35km.
The fifth part is a brand new 950km hyperlink from Riyadh to Jeddah, which is able to proceed for 146km to King Abdullah Port. The Riyadh – Jeddah part may have three intermediate stations at Jamuma, Moya and Al-Doadmi.
The sixth part is the brand new 172km line from King Abdullah Port to Yanbu Industrial Metropolis. The undertaking may also embrace the development of seven logistics centres at Jubail Industrial Metropolis Logistics Centre, Damman Logistics Dry Port, a relocated Riyadh Dry Port, King Khalid Airport Logistics Centre in Riyadh, Jeddah Logistics Dry Port, King Abdullah Port Logistics Centre and Yanbu Industrial Metropolis Logistics Centre.
Plans to develop the Saudi Landbridge undertaking have been initially introduced in 2004 and have been revived in 2011, with progress comparatively sluggish since then. Nonetheless, it’s one in all Saudi Arabia’s most eagerly-awaited infrastructure initiatives, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud confirming the federal government’s dedication to the scheme in June 2021, when he launched the Nationwide Transport and Logistics Technique.
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