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Switzerland-headquartered Pini Group has won the preliminary design contract for the dualisation of 230 kilometres of track on Saudi Arabia’s North Railway.

The deal also covers the preliminary design and site selection of a new depot and the preparation of tender documents for the estimated SR4bn ($1.08bn) design-and-build contract, which is scheduled to be issued to selected contractors in late 2025.

Two sections featuring five loops will have the additional track. They are:

Section 1: From the Al-Zabirah 1/Nariyah Marshalling Yard to Ras Al-Khair

Section 2: From Zabirah Junction to the Hail Intermodal Yard

The Ministry of Transport & Logistic Services tendered Pini’s contract in October 2023 to provide additional phosphate ore freight capacity for Saudi Arabia Mining Company’s (Maaden) fertiliser expansion plans.

Management of the project’s construction and post-completion operations will sit with Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR).

The 2,750km-long North Railway, previously known as the North-South Railway, comprises a 1,550km freight line running from the Al-Jalamid phosphate mine and Waad Al-Shamal fertiliser production complex in the far northwest of the kingdom to Maaden’s diammonium phosphate fertiliser production and export facilities at Ras Al-Khair on the Gulf coast.

It also consists of a 1,250km-long passenger line linking Riyadh with Al-Haditha near the Jordanian border.

The deal marks the first major project win in Saudi Arabia for the 74-year-old engineering firm, which established its offices in the GCC in May 2023. It is delivering detailed design services for the Mid-Island Parkway Tunnel connecting Saadiyat Island to Umm Yifenah Island, and the Hafeet Rail project connecting UAE and Oman.