Saudi Arabia Railways Opens Bidding for New Passenger Trains on Northern Route

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has launched a public tender for the manufacture of ten new passenger trains for its Northern Community.

The initiative kinds a part of the corporate’s ongoing programme to develop the rail transport system and enhance the effectivity of passenger companies, according to the Nationwide Transport and Logistics Technique and Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030.

An artist rendering of trains for Saudi Arabia

The tender covers the design, manufacture and provide of the trains, in addition to the availability of fleet upkeep companies. The inclusion of long-term upkeep is meant to help operational readiness and asset sustainability. Bids should be submitted by 11 Might 2026, in accordance with the relevant public procurement laws.

Commenting on the announcement, SAR Chief Government Officer Dr Bashar bin Khalid Al-Malik stated that increasing the passenger fleet is a central aspect of the corporate’s technique to develop passenger rail companies. He famous that the addition of the brand new trains would assist handle rising demand for intercity journey.

Dr Al-Malik said that the brand new fleet is predicted to extend the operational capability of the Northern Community to just about 3 times its present stage, elevating annual seating capability to greater than 2.4 million seats. This growth is meant to help continued development in passenger motion between cities served by the community.

The Northern Community extends for roughly 2,700 kilometres and hyperlinks a number of main cities, together with Riyadh, Al Majmaah, Al Qassim, Hail, Al Jouf and Al Qurayyat. SAR has additionally indicated plans to increase the community by means of the addition of recent passenger stations, together with Al Zulfi, within the coming years.

The tender kinds a part of SAR’s phased method to modernising and increasing its passenger fleet throughout completely different rail corridors. In parallel, the corporate is presently manufacturing ten new passenger trains for the Japanese Line, as a part of broader efforts to enhance operational effectivity and repair reliability throughout the nationwide railway community.