National railway company Saudi Arabia Railways has called for expressions of interest in a contract to design, supply and maintain its next generation of inter-city passenger trains.

The first batch of new trainsets is planned to enter service by 2025, increasing capacity on the Riyadh – Dammam route. Further trainsets would be ordered for growth on the Riyadh to Hail section of the North–South Railway.

The trainsets would be equipped with ETCS, and the contract would include 10 years of maintenance.

‘Planning and delivering the growth of the kingdom’s railway is a priority for SAR’, said Dr Bashar Al Malik, CEO of SAR which was formed from the merger of Saudi Railways Organization and Saudi Railways Co in 2021.

‘By procuring a new generation of modern passenger trains we intend to grow our share of the Riyadh to Dammam travel market by continuing to provide excellence in customer service.’