Saudi Arabia starts seeking pre- qualification bids Sunday for a railway linking Jubail Industrial City with Ras Alkhair, an Arabic daily reported, citing Dr. Rumaih M. Al Rumaih, the chief executive officer of Saudi Railway Co. The winner is likely to be announced as early as next year, the newspaper said, citing Al Rumaih. King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has ordered the linking of the new Hazm Al-Jalameed-Ras Alkhair rail with Dammam through Jubail Industrial City, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said on June 24. The 1,392-km railway line between Hazm Al-Jalameed, Northern Border Province, where phosphate mines are situated, and the industrial centre of Ras Alkhair, Eastern Province, was opened in May. The railway also passes through the mining areas in the provinces of Jouf, Hail and Qassim. The Saudi Railway Company (SAR) completed the new rail line in May. SAR also plans to link Riyadh with Haditha, on the border with Jordan, with the construction of another line. "The King's order for a railway link is of vital importance for the development of the Kingdom's economy," said Al-Assaf, who is also chairman of the Public Investment Fund, which owns SAR. The factories in a number of industrial cities in the north and central regions of the Kingdom will be linked with eastern industrial ports on the Gulf.
