When we think about Saudi Arabia, many people picture deserts, oil, and long distances between cities. However, the country is experiencing a moment of big changes where one of the most important and most ambitious projects that’s developing is called ‘’Land Bridge’’ (also known as the ‘’Miracle of the Desert’’).
This project is a construction of a high-speed railway designed to connect major cities across the kingdom, making travel faster, easier, and more efficient. So, let’s learn more about this project.
Land Bridge
This is a high-speed railway that goes through Saudi Arabia from west to east. It will connect Jeddah, a major port city on the Red Sea, to Dammam, located on the Arabian Gulf. The railway will pass through Riyadh, the capital city, right in the middle.
Land Bridge will cross the country from one side to the other in a much faster way. Currently, travelling on the road between Riad and Jeddah can take you about 12 hours by car. With the new train, that same journey will be reduced to less than four hours, which is a great change for people and companies.
The project is worth about $7 billion, which proves how important it is for Saudi Arabia’s future. It is not just about travel convenience, but also about strengthening trade, business, and national connectivity.
Connecting key cities and regions
The total journey of the Land Bridge will be about 1,500 km (about 930 miles). Throughout this journey, the Land Bridge will connect Saudi Arabia’s main cities, industrial zones, and population centers. This means that people living in different regions could easily move, and businesses will also benefit from it because goods and materials can move faster between ports, factories, and markets.
2030
The Land Bridge is not the only project in Saudi Arabia, it’s part of a wider plan called Vision 2030. With this plan Saudi Arabia wants to depend less on oil and develop other sectors like transport, logistics, and tourism.
With the construction of the Land Bridge, the country will expand its national rail network from 5,300 km to more than 8,000 km. This helps Saudi Arabia become key when it comes to transport and logistics hub for the Gulf and the wider Arab world.
New stations and more modern trains
The company in charge of the project is Saudi Railway Company (SAR) and it’s developing new stations that will be used as main points of the route. The train will also connect King Abdullah Port with major industrial cities like Yanbu, which will ease the transport of goods between the sea and the inland areas of the country.
As part of the modernization, SAR has ordered 15 new trains that can reach speeds of up to 200 km per hour. So, you can imagine how fast, comfortable, and efficient these trains will be.
More rail projects
Apart from the Land Bridge, Saudi Arabia is developing other projects related to rail transportation.
One of them is called ‘’Dream of the Desert’’, a luxury train offering a special tourist experience. This train’s journey will be of about 1,290km from Riad to Qurayyat, allowing passengers to enjoy natural landscapes of the country with more comfort.
Also, Saudi Arabia is investing in hydrogen-powered trains as part of their goal to boost cleaner energy and more sustainable transport.
Train usage in Saudi Arabia
The interest in rail transport in this country is increasing. According to recent data, more than 2.6 billion people used the train during just one trimester this year. This growth proves that more and more citizens trust the train as a practical and efficient option to move.
This project seems like a great idea, what do you think about it?