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Neom has reduced the scope of work for upcoming construction contracts on the infrastructure corridor alongside The Line as it prioritises the delivery of certain elements of the 170-kilometre-long project.

Firms working on the infrastructure corridor, which is known as The Spine, have been informed that the length of tunnelling has been reduced by 37 kilometres (km), the number of stations to be developed has been reduced to nine from 48, and the freight rail will share the same infrastructure as the high-speed rail.

The commuter line, known as the Group Mass Transit, will be completed later.

Phased delivery

A spokesperson for Neom said: “The Line is a long-term endeavour, and along with The Spine, is being delivered in phases. Neom is currently engaging leading rail suppliers to execute the detailed design and delivery of phase one for the high-speed passenger and freight rail systems, to ensure the resilience of the network.”

MEED reported in May that Neom has invited companies to submit bids in October for contracts to provide rolling stock for the high-speed and freight railways running alongside The Line and connecting to the Oxagon industrial city development.

As well as the provision of rolling stock, the contract covers the electrification, signalling and control systems for the Connector South and The Spine. The Spine is the infrastructure corridor running parallel to The Line that includes the high-speed rail, while the Connector South links Oxagon to The Line.

Ongoing activity

For the civil works, there are several construction packages at various stages. MEED reported in early May that a joint venture of Italy-based Webuild and Riyadh-headquartered Shibh al-Jazira Contracting (Sajco) had secured a contract to build the Connector South. The infrastructure corridor will run south from The Line to Neom City Station through Neom Bay Mansions, Neom Bay airport and on to Oxagon.

In April, Neom invited selected contractors to submit bids to complete tunnels that will serve as the railway junction connecting The Spine with the Neom Connector, known as the Delta Junction.

The project involves 26.5km of tunnelling work that will be split into two lots, one for the north and the other for the south.

The work will be completed in five sections, each involving about 5km of tunnels excavated through hard rock using drill-and-blast and cut-and-cover techniques.

Contractors are also bidding for The Line's cut-and-cover tunnel sections. These works are divided into contracts known as Type A, Type B and Type C. Some will be completed using concrete cast on site, while others will be built using precast concrete sections.