Saudi Arabia Railways

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR; Arabic: الخطوط الحديدية السعودية), formerly the Saudi Railway Company, is the national railway company of Saudi Arabia. It is de facto a state-owned enterprise, as it is owned by the PIF.^[2][3]

Saudi Arabia Railways

Official Logo
Haramain High Speed Railway
Industry	Railway
Founded	23 May 2006; 19 years ago (2006-05-23) 1 April 2021; 4 years ago (2021-04-01) (Current form)
Headquarters	Diplomatic Quarter, Building S-24, Riyadh , Saudi Arabia
Key people	Nabil Al-Amoudi (Chairman)[1]
Parent	PIF
Website	www.sar.com.sa

Saudi Railways Organization was a major railway operator in Saudi Arabia, until it merged into Saudi Arabia Railways on April 1, 2021.^[4]

History

Saudi Arabia Railways, formerly the Saudi Railway Company, was established in 2006 to build, operate, and manage the north-south railway project.^[5]

Approval to merge the Saudi Railways Organization and Saudi Railway Company was announced in February 2021.^[4] The merger took place on April 1, 2021,^[6] and the combined company is now called Saudi Arabia Railways.^[7][2]

Lines

West Line (Haramain High Speed Railway)

• Medina - King Abdullah Economic City - Jeddah - Mecca

North Train (Riyadh–Qurayyat line)

• Riyadh - Majmaah - Ḥaʼil - Qassim (Buraidah) - Jauf (Sakakah) - Qurayyat - Jordan

East Train (Dammam–Riyadh line)

• Riyadh - Hufuf - Abqaiq - Dammam

Rolling stock

Electric and diesel trainsets

Class	Image	Top speed		Number	Remarks	Built
		mph	km/h
Talgo 350		220	350	36 trainsets: 72 power cars 72 semi-articulated trailer cars 396 articulated trailer cars	Electric trainsets with 2 locomotive-like power cars, two semi-articulated end trailer cars and 11 articulated trailer passenger cars (Mc-T=11Ta=T-Mc). Including 35 regular passenger trains and 1 VIP train for royal family and officials. Operating on the Haramain High Speed Railway with 25 kV AC railway electrification.	2015-2018
SAR-200 CAF push–pull train		124	200	6 trainsets: 12 power cars, 62 trailer cars	Diesel-electric trainsets with 2 locomotive-like power cars and 9 or 13 trailer cars (four standard day trains with Mc-9T-Mc formation and two sleeper night trains with Mc-13T-Mc formation). Operating on the Riyadh-Qurayyat Line.[8][9]	2013
SRO-180 CAF push–pull train		112	180	8 trainsets: 10 power cars (5001-5010) 32 trailer intermediate cars 8 trailer control cars	Diesel-electric trainsets with 1 locomotive-like power car, 4 intermediate trailer cars and 1 control car (Mc-4T-Tc formation). Two additional power cars built as reserves. Operating on the Dammam–Riyadh line.	2011

Diesel locomotives

Class	Image	Top speed		Number	Remarks	Built
		mph	km/h
EMD SD70ACS				61 Diesel Locomotives [5][10]	Heavy haul AC diesel-electric locomotives for a mineral railway.[11]	2010-2016
ALCO RS-1		65	105	6	Series 1000-1005 Diesel-electric locomotives. Originally Arabian American Oil Company A11x50-A11x51, 1002-1005.	1947–1951
EMD SW1001				5	Series 1022-1026 Order 818000 1/5 Diesel-electric locomotives.[12]	1981
NS Class 2400 (1954) [nl]		50	80	7	Secondhand Diesel-electric locomotives taken over from NS by Volker Stevin in 1976 for construction works for a seaport in Jubail. Former 2427, 2445, 2485, 2497, 2499, 2519, 2523. Renumbered into 101-107. Sold to Archirodon for rail reconstruction between Damman and Riyadh and renumbered to 276-04 - 276-09. Some scrapped in 1983. Others active until 1994 and stored in Hofuf afterwards.[13]	1954–56
EMD G18				16	Series 1006-1021 Orders 710971-710975, 713081-713082, 713233-713235, and 748005 1/6 Diesel-electric locomotives.	1968–1976
EMD GP18M				1	Series 1200 Order 700178; Diesel-electric locomotives.[12] rated at 1500 horsepower.	1961
EMD FP7A				2	Series 1500-1501 Order 7019; Diesel-electric locomotives taken over from Arabian American Oil Company (their 1006-1007).[14]	1953
EMD FP9A				7	Series 1502-1508 Orders 701553, 701493-701494, 702272-702275; Diesel-electric locomotives.	1956–1959
EMD GP38-2				1	Series 2000. Order 712783; Diesel-electric locomotives.	1973
EMD GPL38S				7	Series 2001-2007. Order 201288865; Diesel-electric locomotives.	2015
EMD GT22CW				3	Series 2001-2003. Order 748004; Diesel-electric locomotives.	1976
EMD SDL38-2				6	Series 2004-2009. Order 778050; Diesel-electric locomotives.[15]	1978
EMD SDL38				6	Series 2030-2035. Order 20148061; Diesel-electric locomotives.	2016
EMD SDL50				31	Series 3500-3530; Diesel-electric locomotives.[16]	1981–2005
EMD GT46ACS				17	Series 4300-4316. Orders 20118517 and 20148134; Diesel-electric locomotives.	2013–2015
Class 319.2		75	120	>4	Diesel-electric locomotives bought second hand.[17]

See also

• Rail transport in Saudi Arabia