Saudi Landbridge Project, Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Landbridge Project is a part of the Saudi Railways Organization's railway expansion programme. The project is one of the biggest in the region with an estimated investment of $7bn, and involves construction of 950km of new line between Riyadh and Jeddah and another 115km track between Dammam and Jubail.

It also involves upgrading of the existing link between Riyadh and Dammam. The Landbridge will be the first rail link between the Red Sea and the Gulf and is expected to be completed by 2010.

The Landbridge project is being built on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) system and is expected to have a significant impact on the transport potential of the country. It will allow freight of cargo imported from East Asian countries via King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam, and from Europe and North America via Jeddah Islamic Port. This would result in more transit cargo and savings in regional freight economy.