Ask most Westerners about Saudi Arabia and they will likely
tell you that it is an oil rich country in the Middle East that is mostly arid
desert land with a few big cities. Some might even reference the passion for
the Kingdom’s football team or the marvel of industrial cities that have been
built from the ground up and highlighted in engineering publications and
documentaries.
Now, one has cause to believe that any future description of
the Kingdom will include thoughts of a country with one of the most
sophisticated rail networks in the world.
A recent article in the Arab News by Siraj Wahab takes an in-depth look at the
infrastructure improvements being made to the current rail system in Saudi
Arabia as well as the new projects underway that will connect eight of the Kingdom’s
13 provinces via a vast network of high-speed lines and a system of tunnels and
land bridges by 2015.
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| (Riyadh) Rail will soon connect the Kingdom. |
There are currently five phases of construction on the new
network that comprise 7,000 km of track, or about three and two-thirds more
track than the current system. The Kingdom’s current system is about 1,500 km
long and runs between Riyadh and Dammam on two lines; one for passengers and
one for freight. Highlights include: the
Haramain High Speed Rail project that will connect Makkah, Jeddah, Rabigh and
Madinah and includes more than 500 tunnels; an expansive land bridge slated to
connect the existing network with industrial and business centres across the
country; incorporation of a recently completed private line; and a phase called
the Gulf Cooperation Council Railway Project that will link Kuwait to Ras
Al-Khair, Oman and Qatar.
If that’s not enough, the Kingdom is not ruling out the
possibility of future lines that connect all of the provinces and even a line
that connects to the European network one day.
Aziz M. Al-Hokail, president of the Saudi Railways
Organization (SRO), explains the benefits of expansion and the reasons the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah approved the massive spend.
Al-Hokail references how rail projects have helped interconnect economies in other
countries, spurred growth in the form of cities popping up along the lines and the
benefits to both commuters and logistics improvements.
He mentions that one need only look at the US or Taiwan as
evidence of the benefits that rail has on an economy. There were once vast
expanses of empty land along the rail lines in both countries. Now industrial
hubs and suburban areas have grown out of seemingly nowhere, much like towns
did along rivers in ancient times. A shipment that once took a week by sea will
be made in 12 hours via the new high speed rail network, boosting trade in the
country as well.
On all levels, rail in Saudi Arabia looks like a no-brainer.
High-speed lines look to diversify an
already robust nation and economy. Soon, private shops and consumer-based micro
economies may pop up between industrial cities and grow as well.
With all of the debate around the rest of the world and
bickering between politicians and experts about the benefits of rail versus the
costs involved, one might be tempted to look at what the Saudi’s are doing and say
the time for talk is over. The jobs it creates, enhancements to trade and
quality of life of those around a line, not to mention the cost efficiencies
once complete, all make rail a viable option. Some say the current rail project
might be late in coming to the Kingdom given the advanced networks around the
world. Despite the seemingly late entry into modernization movement, the same
people might also be saying that come 2015, Saudi Arabia may be the very model
for modernization, thanks to rail. Perhaps it will be a lesson for us all.
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