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Home Our projects Around the world MIDDLE EAST SAUDI ARABIA SAUDI LANDBRIDGE

SAUDI LANDBRIDGE

One of the world’s largest railway projects in terms of scale. A 1,300 km line across the entire width of Saudi Arabia, linking the two seaboards of the Arabian Peninsula. 

FS Engineering carried out the design work (Preliminary and Detailed Design “Issue for Construction”) for the “Landbridge” railway corridor, which will link Jeddah, on the Red Sea, to Al Jubail, on the Arabian Sea, along the “Blue Corridor” route.

The project involves the construction of a 1,300 km railway line, primarily for freight transport, which will cross Saudi Arabia from west to east.

This engagement stems from the previous contract signed by the company in July 2013, for the preliminary and detailed design of the Riyadh–Jeddah section (958 km), along the route known as the “Red Corridor”, which was subsequently extended to Al Jubail (1,300 km).

Work began in July 2013 and was completed in June 2017.

PROJECT DETAILS

1,300 km of new non-electrified double-track line, with provision for future electrification
Mixed-traffic corridor with design speeds of 350 km/h for passenger trains (when electrified)  and 160 km/h for freight.
Heavy ‘double-stack’ container traffic (two containers stacked on top of each other on the wagons) with an axle load of 32.4 tonnes (matching GCC standards) and 4,000 m double-unit train formations
Interconnected with the existing rail network near Riyadh and Al Jubail
4 passenger stations, including a major interchange in Jeddah connecting to the Mecca–Medina high-speed line, featuring bespoke architectural and functional designs
Direct link to the Port of Jeddah JIP
 2 major dry port marshalling yards located in Jeddah and Riyadh

 

The project proved extremely challenging due to the vastness of its scale (1,300 km), with the production of 15,000 documents, including reports and drawings, for the various phases of the project, alongside 620 geotechnical boreholes totalling 14,000 linear metres, and wide-area terrain mapping using LiDAR technology covering 130,000 hectares.

The particularly challenging environmental conditions – characterised by sand, strong winds and extremely high temperatures – required studies and trials of innovative solutions to mitigate their effects.

Sand Mitigation studies to ensure safe train operations by limiting sand accumulation on the track
Wind-effect studies (addressing wind speeds of up to 140 km/h) to eliminate potential derailment risks for freight services
Design of mitigation elements (barriers)
Material studies for both the railway substructure and superstructure

This achievement marks a significant milestone for FS Engineering, earning high praise from the Saudi Railway Company (SAR). SAR commended the team's rapid design delivery and exceptional problem-solving capabilities, particularly in overcoming the region's extreme temperatures and navigating the vast sand dunes and rugged rocky terrain characteristic of the Saudi desert.

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