Business & Money | Tuesday 15 December, 2015 8:44 am |

The cities of Riyadh and Dammam will soon be connected by a high-speed electric train that will run at a speed of up to 300

kilometers per hour compared to the current 140km/h diesel-powered train, which will be increased to 160km/h before the end of this
year, said president of the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO).
"The speed of the diesel-powered train will be increased further to 180km/h next year, reducing the current travel time to three hours, which is the objective of the SRO. The service will be a replica of the Haramain high-speed train, and will go through Hofuf in its first
phase with a goal to establish another electric line between Riyadh and Al-Kharj."

He said that the passenger line from Hofuf to the capital will be duplicated by the end of the current year, recognizing that the
current travel time between the two cities, which is estimated at about four hours, is due to non-duplication of the line, and the presence of level crossings, forcing trains to ease their speed.
Regarding future plans to depend on electric traction, SRO stated: "The Kingdom still has diesel trains while the rest of the world is
using electric trains. So we have plans to go electric especially for the railway between Eastern Province and Riyadh, Riyadh and Al-Kharj."
"Eight new electric locomotives have been recently put in service and they will be followed by four new ones in less than a month, with the aim to increase the speed of trains and reduce travel time."
"We have a comprehensive expansion and development plan for the rail services that will be completed in 25 years. This will lead to modernization of the train system to provide quality services to the citizens and add to the rebound of the economy in the country," the official added.