Impression of Stadler inter-city train for Saudi Arabia Railways (Image Stadler)

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia Railways has signed contracts for Stadler to supply its next generation of passenger trains. The Swiss manufacturer said these would ‘elevate train travel in the kingdom to the next level in terms of passenger comfort, travel experience and reliability’.

The contracts signed on February 5 are valued at SFr600m. They include a base order for 10 trainsets and full maintenance support and spare parts for 10 years. Thee are options for 10 more trainsets and their maintenance.

The trainsets will be 175 m long with a capacity of about 320 passengers. They will have two independent diesel-electric power cars meeting European Stage V emission standards.

Design will meet the latest European and international standards, with Stadler drawing on its experience of two previous contracts in the MENA region to address the local climate and conditions.

‘These modern trains represent an effective tool for improving services provided to the residents and visitors’, said SAR Chief Executive Dr Bashar bin Khaled Al Malik.

Increasing demand

Minister of Transport & Logistics and SAR Chairman Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser said the trains had been ordered in response to increasing demand on the East route from Riyadh to Dammam. They are intended to operate express services, doubling capacity on the route to more than 3·8 million passengers/year.

‘The entry of new trains into service in the near future will open new horizons for the economic movement witnessed in the kingdom, by supporting rapid connectivity between cities and main regions’, he explained, adding that the King and Crown Prince were providing ‘great and unlimited support’ for the Kingdom’s transportation and logistics system ‘to enable the sector to achieve its initiatives in accordance with Saudi Vision 2030’.

Strategic milestone

SAR signs contract for Stadler trainsets

SAR called tenders for the trainsets in 2022, saying it was making efforts to reduce barriers to entry to the national market to encourage bids from suppliers without a local presence.

Stadler was selected as preferred bidder in 2023, and extensive negotiations took place before the contracts were finalised.

Stadler Executive Chairman Peter Spuhler said the order was a ‘strategic milestone’ for the company, marking its entry into the railway market in the Gulf Co-operation Council region, ‘a market that is expected to be outperforming other railway markets in terms of travel experience and passenger growth’.

The signing was witnessed by Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, which Stadler said emphasised the deal’s strategic importance for bilateral relations.

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