Under the terms of the contract, the group, which also includes France's Systraand its Canadian sister company Canarail Consultantsand Saudi Consolidated Engineering Services (Khatib & Alami), will supervise construction works on the estimated $2,800 million scheme, as well as the first year of maintenance work. The minerals railway will transport phosphate from the Al-Jalamid deposit and bauxite from the Al-Zabirah deposit, both located hundreds of kilometres northwest of Riyadh, to an industrial complex at Ras al-Zour in the Eastern Province. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) will finance the project and execute it in partnership with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden)on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis (MEED 30:9:05).

Maaden is in final negotiations with project management consultants for its phosphate resources and fertiliser units at Ras al-Zour. Tendering is also under way for the sulphuric acid and ammonia unit EPC packages at the complex, while invitations to bid for the phosphoric acid and diammonia phosphate (DAP) plants, as well as the captive power and desalination plant, will be issued soon (MEED 14:10:05; 7:10:05).