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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.

The prospective bidders include:

• Alstom (France)
• Caf (Spain)
• CRRC (China)
• Hitachi Rail (Japan)
• Siemens (Germany)
• Talgo (Spain)

Civil works

Construction work for the railway network at Neom has already started. MEED reported in early May that a joint venture of Italy-based Webuild and Riyadh-headquartered Shibh al-Jazira Contracting (Sajco) had secured a $1.5bn contract to build the Connector South.

The contract involves the construction of a 75-kilometre railway line, including earthworks, 14 viaducts, seven roads, nine rail underpasses, 152 culverts (pipe and box culverts), a freight line, infrastructure maintenance depots and associated facilities.

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.

More on Neom:

> ANALYSIS: Neom becomes real-world building project
> SITE REPORT: World’s largest piling project shifts to The Line’s marina
> INTERVIEW: Neom to fix construction
> OPINION: Neom is a challenge and an opportunity
> WATER INFRASTRUCTURE: Petrojet wins Neom water transmission project
> DESALINATION: Neom to tender zero liquid discharge SWRO plant
> PILING: Chinese firm wins Neom marina piling work
> MOVIE SET: Neom advances plans to be leading movie destination
> TUNNELS: Neom tenders Delta Junction tunnel contracts
> OXAGON: Work to start for $1.5bn Oxagon wind turbine plant

Read the May 2023 issue of MEED Business Review