The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) () was a state-owned railway company that operated part of Saudi Arabia's rail network, along with the Saudi Railway Company (now Saudi Arabia Railways). The SRO operated a network of railways with a total length of approximately . The network consisted of two main lines. A passenger line that links Dammam with Riyadh, and a freight line that connects the King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam with Riyadh.
There are plans to extend the network to the Red Sea port of Jeddah and, eventually, to the borders of Jordan, Yemen, and perhaps all the way to Egypt.
Approval to merge the Saudi Railways Organization and the Saudi Railway Company was announced in February 2021. The merger took place on 1 April 2021, and the merged entity is now known as Saudi Arabia Railways.
Rolling stock
Spanish manufacturer CAF delivered eight fast diesel locomotives in 2012, with one driving van trailer passenger car and four other passenger cars, with a leading power car unit, plus two spare power cars. They are used on the Dammam–Riyadh Line. In 2013, the travel time was 4:15, but the target is 3:00 for the future.
Trainsets ClassImageTop speedNumberRemarksBuilt mph km/h CAF 112 180 8 passenger units, 10 power cars (5001-5010) Passenger trainsets with dedicated power cars. 2011
Diesel Locomotives ClassImageTop speedNumberRemarksBuilt mph km/h ALCO RS-165105 6Series 1000-1005 Diesel-electric locomotives. Originally Arabian American Oil Company A11x50-A11x51, 1002-1005 1947–1951 EMD SW1001 5Series 1022-1026 Order 818000 1/5 Diesel-electric locomotives. 1981 Class 2400 50 80 7 Secondhand Diesel-electric locomotives taken over from NS by Volker Stevin in 1976 for construction works for a seaport in Jubail. Former 2427, 2445, 2485, 2497, 2499, 2519, 2523. Renumbered into 101-107. Sold to Archirodon for rail reconstruction between Damman and Riyadh and renumbered to 276-04 - 276-09. Some scrapped in 1983. Others active until 1994 and stored in Hofuf afterwards.Dierdorp, Sicco & Davy Beumer (2011), D.E.-Locomotieven serie 2200/2300 en 2400/2500. Alkmaar: De Alk 1954–56 EMD G18 16Series 1006-1021 Orders 710971-710975, 713081-713082, 713233-713235, and 748005 1/6 Diesel-electric locomotives. 1968–1976 EMD GP18M 1Series 1200 Order 700178 Diesel-electric locomotives. rated at 1500 horsepower 1961 EMD FP7A 2Series 1500-1501 Order 7019 Diesel-electric locomotives taken over from Arabian American Oil Company (their 1006-1007).1953 EMD FP9A 7Series 1502-1508 Orders 701553, 701493-701494, 702272-702275 Diesel-electric locomotives 1956–1959 GP38-2 1 Series 2000. Order 712783. Diesel-electric locomotives 1973 GPL38S 7 Series 2001-2007. Order 201288865. Diesel-electric locomotives 2015 GT22CW 3 Series 2001-2003. Order 748004. Diesel-electric locomotives 1976 SDL38-2 6 Series 2004-2009. Order 778050. Diesel-electric locomotives 1978 SDL38 6 Series 2030-2035. Order 20148061 Diesel-electric locomotives 2016 EMD SDL50 31Series 3500-3530 Diesel-electric locomotives 1981–2005 EMD SD70ACS 61 Series 4000-4060 Diesel-electric locomotives for a mineral railwayHaRakevet: Rothschild PhD, Rabbi Walter (2010), New mineral railway Issue 90 2010–2016 GT46ACS 17 Series 4300-4316. Orders 20118517 and 20148134. Diesel-electric locomotives 2013–2015 Class 319.2 75 120 >4 Diesel-electric locomotives bought second hand.
Expansion The SRO has several plans to expand the network as part of the Saudi Railway Master Plan 2010-2040 (SRMP). Some of the projects under the plan are:
Saudi Landbridge: The Landbridge project aims to connect the Red Sea with the Persian Gulf. It will involve the construction of a line from Jeddah Islamic Port to Riyadh, and a line from Dammam to Jubail. North-South line The Gulf Railway project is a proposed railway network of linking all GCC countries. The length of the track inside Saudi Arabia would be . The SRO also has plans to construct three lines in southern Saudi Arabia to improve the region's connectivity with the rest of the country. The lines are the Taif-Khamis Mushayt–Abha line (), the Jeddah-Jizan line (), and the Yanbu–Jeddah line ().
See also
Saudi Arabia Railways Rail transport in Saudi Arabia Transport in Saudi Arabia Haramain High Speed Railway
References
Al Ayuni Investment and Contracting Company, Saudi Railway CTW400 Project Main Contractor