Manufacturing has began on Dream of the Desert, the primary luxurious prepare service in Saudi Arabia, scheduled to chop a swathe throughout the dominion’s spectacular desert inside by the top of 2025.
Made in Italy, by hospitality firm Arsenale Group, and commissioned by Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR), the 40-cabin prepare will run on 800 miles of current railway traces from the capital Riyadh to Al Qurayyat within the northern province of Al Jawf, making stops alongside the best way. The deliberate one- to two-day route takes in Al Qassim, Hail and Al Jouf, on the sting of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Nature Reserve, earlier than it terminates some 20 miles from the border with Jordan.
SAR chief government Bashar bin Khalid Al-Malik mentioned the prepare service would allow Saudis and vacationers to discover extra of the Kingdom when he signed an settlement with Arsenale CEO, Paolo Barletta, on Tuesday. The railway carriages can be in-built Italy, Barletta mentioned, however could be “totally custom-made and impressed by Saudi type and custom.”
The Italian firm is already working in collaboration with Orient Specific on La Dolce Vita, a brand new luxurious rail service with six itineraries criss-crossing Italy, set to launch this yr. Arsenale has additionally signed an settlement with the UAE’s nationwide railway firm, Etihad Railway, to develop a luxurious prepare that may journey throughout the Center Jap peninsula. The ventures come as luxurious prepare cruising is ready to develop into a well-liked post-Covid journey pattern.
The replace on Dream of the Desert is certainly one of many as Saudi Arabia fast-tracks its ambitions to develop into a number one vacationer vacation spot, with plans to draw 150m guests by the top of the last decade. Final yr was marked by information of resort and resort developments throughout the Kingdom, from AlUla, the traditional oasis metropolis close to the sandstone monuments of Hegra; to the Pink Beach and its islands; Sindalah Island, a part of the Neom gigaproject; and the historic settlement of Diriyah.
A model of this story initially appeared on Condé Nast Traveller Center East.
