A consortium of Italian consulting and project company Italferr, Spanish engineering group Sener and U.S. based construction management expert Hill International has emerged as the preferred bidder for a project management services contract for the Saudi Landbridge project, reported International Railway Journal.
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Bids for the contract were received by Saudi Railway Company (SAR) in October 2022 and the consortium has overcome rival proposals from Systra and a consortium of Parsons and Egis.
With the project management contract now confirmed, local media reports suggest that SAR is preparing to start work on the public-private partnership (PPP) project, which includes constructing the new 950-km railway between Riyadh and Jeddah, early next year.
The negotiations over the final cost and financing structure for the $7-billion scheme are nearing conclusion, stated the IRJ report.
The other members in the consortium are: Systra, Thales, WSP, Aldhabaan and Partners, the local partner of British law firm Eversheds and Sutherland, ALG Infrastructure, and Calx Consultancy.
The first section comprises the upgrade of the Jubail Industrial City internal network, which is currently under construction, and will require the construction of 10km of new track
The second is the upgrade of the existing Jubail - Dammam line, which is also currently under construction and will require 35km of new track construction
The third section will involve an upgrade of the Dammam - Riyadh line, which includes the construction of 87km of new track
The fourth section, the Riyadh bypass, will connect the existing network in the north of the city to the south. It is split into two packages: the first has 67km of track and the second has 35km
The fifth section is a new 950-km link from Riyadh to Jeddah, which will continue for 146 km to King Abdullah Port. The Riyadh - Jeddah section will have three intermediate stations at Jamuma, Moya and Al-Doadmi
The sixth section is the new 172km line from King Abdullah Port to Yanbu Industrial City. The project will also include the construction of seven logistics centres at Jubail Industrial City Logistics Centre, Damman Logistics Dry Port, a relocated Riyadh Dry Port, King Khalid Airport Logistics Centre in Riyadh, Jeddah Logistics Dry Port, King Abdullah Port Logistics Centre and Yanbu Industrial City Logistics Centre. ■
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