In the forties of the last century, with the beginning of the oil extraction, the vital need to establish a port on the coast of the Arabian Gulf to harbor the huge ships that brought in oil drilling equipment, and later the oil tankers and to create of a safe, fast, sustainable and low-cost means of transportation was recognized. In October 1951, the first railway line between Riyadh and Dammam was inaugurated, with the goals of building an integrated transportation system.
A resolution of the Council of Ministers has been issued on 2/16/2021, assigning Saudi Railways Company (SAR) to take over the operations and management of the network from the Saudi Railway Organization, starting April 1, 2021. SAR, that was established in 2006, is the owner and operator of the North Train Railway Network. SAR trains currently run through three main networks (North - East - Harman) with lengths of more than 5,500 km, through which more than 33 million passengers have been transported.
SAR operates passenger trains through the North Train network, with a speed up to 200 km per hour. All Trains are equipped with facilities such as booths for families, prayer areas, a restaurant car, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and an information system. Regarding the freight trains. more than 2000 freight wagons and 157 locomotives are all geared to transport more than (10) million tons annually. As SAR operates one of the ten longest freight trains in the world, with a length of 3 km. SAR managed to transport more than 58 million tons of minerals from 2011 until the end of 2020, which contributed to displacing more than 4.5 million trucks from the roads. The container shipping service approximately transports 350,000 containers annually. With plans to raise the operational efficiency with the completion of Jubail-Dammam connection project, to reach the 1.1 million containers.
For more information on government contacts, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List.
Travel Time Matrix
SAR North train comprises five stations (Riyadh, Majmaah, Qassim, Hail , Jauf).
|
North Route Travel Time from Riyadh to Major Towns ending with Jouf (hours) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riyadh |
Majmaah |
Qassim |
Hail |
Jouf |
|
|
Riyadh |
1.15 |
2:30 |
4:30 |
8:00 |
|
|
Majmaah |
1.15 |
1:00 |
3:00 |
6:30 |
|
|
Qassim |
2:30 |
1:00 |
1:50 |
5:00 |
|
|
Hail |
4:30 |
3:00 |
1:50 |
2:45 |
|
|
Jouf |
8:00 |
6:30 |
5:00 |
2:45 |
|
SAR East Train comprises of four stations ( Dammam, Abqaid, Hofuf, Riyadh).
|
East Route Travel Time from Dammam to Major Towns ending with Riyadh (hours) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dammam |
Abqaid |
Hofuf |
Riyadh |
|
|
Dammam |
|
0:40 |
1:15 |
3:50 |
|
Abqaid |
0:40 |
|
00:30 |
3:00 |
|
Hofuf |
1:15 |
00:30 |
|
2:30 |
|
Riyadh |
3:50 |
3:00 |
2:30 |
|
Railway Companies and Consortia
All railway network in the kingdom is operated by the Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR).
For more information on railway company contact details, please see the following link: 4.9 Railway Companies Contact List.
Capacity Table
|
Rail Operator Capacity |
|
|---|---|
|
SAR |
|
|
Lines Operates On |
|
|
Max Train Length and / or Pulling Capacity |
From nine and 13 cars – 4300 horsepower |
|
Locomotives |
|
|
Covered Freight Wagons Size (m) |
15.24’ to 21.9 (m) in length |
|
Flatbed Freight Wagons Size (m) |
|
|
High-sided Freight Wagons Size (m) |
Length 15.8 (m) |
Key Route Information
|
Standard Route Information |
||
|---|---|---|
|
North Route (From Riyadh - To Jauf) |
East Route (From Dammam – To Riyadh) |
|
|
Track Gauge |
1435 mm |
1435 mm |
|
Total Track Distance |
Double |
Double |
|
Type of Sleeper and Fastenings |
Wooden & Steel sleepers |
Wooden & Steel sleepers |
|
Total Track Travel Time |
8:00 Hours |
4:00 Hours |
|
Maintenance |
Good |
Good |
|
Companies / Consortiums Operating on Line |
SAR |
SAR |
|
Traffic Frequency |
Daily |
Daily |
|
Security |
Good |
Good |
|
Main Stations |
Riyadh, Majmaah, Qassim, Hail , Jauf |
Dammam, Abqaid, Hofuf, Riyadh |
Key Stations
For the full list of Railway stations please check the following link https://www.sar.com.sa/en/travel-with-sar/stations
