RIYADH: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has ordered that the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) must link Rass Al-Zoor, Jubail and Dammam to the country's seaports, said Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance and Chairman of the General Investment Fund. Al-Assaf thanked the Monarch for his confidence and personal support of the SRO initiative to link Jubail and Dammam. SRO is fully owned by the General investment Fund and was set up by Royal Decree in 2006 to operate the 2,400-kilometer north to south railway line. It consists of two main lines, the first one stretching from the phosphate mines at Al-Jalamid in the northern region to the industrial area at Rass Al-Zoor on the Arabian Gulf and passing through the Bauxite mines. The second line is for passengers and general shipment and stretches from Riyadh to Al-Haditha on the Jordanian border, passing through Sudair, Qassim, Hail and Jouf. The project consists of passenger stations in Riyadh, Majma, Qassim, Hail, Al-Jouf and Al-Qurryat. This is in addition to nine freight stations in Riyadh, Sudair Industrial City, Qassim, Prince Abdul Aziz Economic City in Hail, Al-Jouf, Al-Bessaita, Al-Hudaitha and Rass Al-Zoor in Jubail.
