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Defunct state-owned railway company of Saudi Arabia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) (Arabic: المؤسسة العامة للخطوط الحديدية) 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 1,380 kilometers. The network consisted of two main lines. A 449 km passenger line that links Dammam with Riyadh, and a 556 km freight line that connects the King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam with Riyadh.
![]() Passenger train on the Dammam-Riyadh Line. | |
Native name | المؤسسة العامة للخطوط الحديدية |
---|---|
Founded | 13 May 1966 |
Defunct | April 1, 2021 |
Fate | Merged into the Saudi Railway Company (now Saudi Arabia Railways) |
Headquarters | Dammam railway station, , Saudi Arabia |
Area served | Saudi Arabia |
Key people |
|
Revenue | SAR 535 million[1] (2014) |
Website | saudirailways.org |
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.[2]
Approval to merge the Saudi Railways Organization and Saudi Railway Company was announced in February 2021,[3] and the Saudi Railways Organization was merged into the Saudi Railway Company (now Saudi Arabia Railways) on 1 April 2021.[4]
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. During 2013 the travel time is 4:15 but there is a target of 3:00 for the future.
Class | Image | Top speed | Number | Remarks | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | |||||
CAF | ![]() |
112 | 180 | 8 passenger units, 10 power cars (5001-5010) | Passenger trainsets with dedicated power cars. | 2011 |
Class | Image | Top speed | Number | Remarks | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mph | km/h | |||||
ALCO RS-1 | 65 | 105 | 6 | Series 1000-1005 Diesel-electric locomotives. Originally Arabian American Oil Company A11x50-A11x51, 1002-1005 | 1947–1951 | |
EMD SW1001 | 5 | Series 1022-1026 Order 818000 1/5 Diesel-electric locomotives.[5] | 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.[6] | 1954–56 |
EMD G18 | 16 | Series 1006-1021 Orders 710971-710975, 713081-713082, 713233-713235, and 748005 1/6 Diesel-electric locomotives. | 1968–1976 | |||
EMD GP18M | 1 | Series 1200 Order 700178 Diesel-electric locomotives.[5] rated at 1500 horsepower | 1961 | |||
EMD FP7A | 2 | Series 1500-1501 Order 7019 Diesel-electric locomotives taken over from Arabian American Oil Company (their 1006-1007).[7] | 1953 | |||
EMD FP9A | 7 | Series 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[8] | 1978 | |||
SDL38 | 6 | Series 2030-2035. Order 20148061 Diesel-electric locomotives | 2016 | |||
EMD SDL50 | 31 | Series 3500-3530 Diesel-electric locomotives[9] | 1981–2005 | |||
EMD SD70ACS | 61 | Series 4000-4060 Diesel-electric locomotives for a mineral railway[10] | 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.[11] |
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: