Saudi Railway Company (SAR) is expected in December to invite companies to submit bids for the construction of six stations on the passenger line of the North-South minerals railway. A bid deadline expected in February 2011.

The stations, including the construction of a mosque at each, will be built in Al-Haditha, Al-Jawf, Ha’il, Al-Qassim, Al-Majma’h and Riyadh. The scheme also includes building a new headquarters for SAR in Riyadh.

Local Al-Ayuni Trading & Contracting Company and Al-Abdulaziz al-Omer Establishment for Trading & Contracting is leading the group that will build the 1,410-kilometre-long main passenger line. The line will run between Riyadh and Haditha on the Jordanian border.

Several other lines are planned to branch off this main line. A branch will run to bauxite and phosphate mines in Jelemaid in the northeast to minerals processors in Ras al-Zour, which is near the industrial city of Jubail. Another branch will run from Al-Zabirah on the main line to Ras al-Zour. This line will also have two spurs: One to the bauxite mines at Al-Zabirah and the other to Jubail.

The 1,486-km minerals line is expected to start operating in the first quarter of 2011. India’s Rites will operate the line until 2013 (MEED 29:3:10).

One more contract for the railway is due to be awarded in December for maintenance equipment. SAR’s chief executive officer, Rumaih al-Rumaih, says that there will be several contracts involved, including one for sand-removal equipment.

The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund is financing the project.