Railways: 28.5 million tons of goods and minerals shipped in 2024
Asharqia Chamber, represented by the Logistics Committee, organized a meeting with the CEO of the Saudi Railways Company (SAR), Dr. Bashar bin Khalid Al-Malik, who reviewed the most prominent trends and projects of the company during the coming period, in the presence of the First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors Hamad bin Muhammad Al-Bu Ali and Board Member Muhammad bin Ali Al-Majdouie, and the participation of a significant number of business sector and interested parties, at the Chamber's main headquarters.
Al-Malik stressed in the meeting, which was held on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, and was moderated by the Chairman of the Logistics Committee in the Chamber, Rakan bin Abdulrahman Al-Atishan, the importance of partnership with the private sector in mobilizing the company's projects according to the highest international standards, pointing to the positivity of the business sector in the Eastern Province in dealing with the circumstances of major projects. The meeting discussed the development work of the Eastern Network by working to increase the capacity, by purchasing 10 new passenger trains with the option of adding 10 additional trains, which will reflect in doubling the capacity by more than three times with the completion of the entry of the new trains into service, while the comprehensive development plans during the coming period will contribute to adding seats of up to one hundred thousand seats, which will contribute to improving the experience of beneficiaries of passenger trains, and achieving the goals of the National Strategy for Transport and Services, Logistics and the aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030, and from the development work carried out by the Dammam-Jubail Railway. Regarding the achievements of freight trains during the year 2024, the meeting reviewed the most prominent achievements, as the quantities shipped reached 28.5 million tons of goods and minerals, an increase of 15% compared to the year 2023, including more than 13 million tons of goods that were transported between the ports of the Eastern Region and the Riyadh Dry Port, where more than 876 thousand containers were transported during these works, and these quantities contributed to removing 2 million trucks from the roads in the Kingdom. During the past year, the transport of containers from the Jubail Commercial Port towards the Riyadh Dry Port was activated, in addition to completing the implementation of the project to transfer the freight train route outside the urban area in Al-Ahsa, which allows greater flexibility for freight shipping operations.
The company’s achievements in terms of infrastructure over the past few years include linking several facilities in Jubail Industrial City to ports through the Jubail internal network, improving and developing the infrastructure of Ras Al Khair railways, and developing the container storage and delivery area in Jubail. These projects, along with other projects currently being implemented, will contribute to raising the transport capacity to 15.7 million tons of goods from the ports of the Eastern Province to the Riyadh Dry Port by 2053. The meeting also discussed the company's expansion projects, as the freight train's railway line was operated outside the urban area of Al-Ahsa Governorate after the completion of its implementation by the end of 2024, and the network's efficiency was raised by operating the signaling and communications system for the internal Jubail network and the railway line linking the northern and eastern networks "Jubail - Dammam", which serves freight trains with SABIC and Sadara companies and increases their capacity during the first quarter of 2025, in addition to operating the railway in King Fahd Industrial Port during the first quarter of this year, establishing a freight station in Jubail Industrial City, and preparing to implement major strategic projects such as the land bridge and the Gulf link to enhance logistical connectivity and achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to make the Kingdom a global logistical center. The meeting presented several investment opportunities in SAR Company, represented in the commercial, industrial, residential, and logistics sectors within the (Build-Operate-Transfer "BOT") model or through direct leasing, which guarantees long-term returns and safe investments. He also pointed out that SAR Company enjoys distinguished locations near ports, industrial and logistics areas, and major transportation hubs, which facilitates business operations and enhances investment opportunities.
