Work is moving at a steady pace on the Land Bridge Project linking Riyadh and Jeddah and is set for completion by 2034, reported the Saudi Gazette citing a top official of Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR).

Bashar bin Khalid Al Malik was speaking on the television program Fi Al Surah (In the Picture) while outlining SAR’s broader rail strategy and recent operational developments across the kingdom.

Dismissing reports of an agreement being sealed with a Chinese alliance for the Land Bridge project linking Riyadh and Jeddah, Al Malik said no such deal was signed owing to the consortium’s failure to meet local content requirements. 

"The strategic rail project will instead be delivered through a new mechanism and in phases, with completion expected before 2034," he stated.

At the heart of the Landbridge is a 950km line connecting Riyadh and Jeddah, extending a further 146km north from Jeddah to King Abdullah Port.

SAR said the network also includes a 115km line from Dammam to Jubail, upgrades to the Riyadh–Dammam link, a Riyadh bypass, and a 172km extension from King Abdullah Port to Yanbu Industrial City.

Once completed, freight will move efficiently between Jeddah, Dammam, Jubail, Riyadh, King Khalid Airport, King Abdullah Port, and Yanbu.

The project will also feature seven new logistics centres along key routes, boosting the kingdom’s multimodal transport capabilities.

On regional connectivity, Al Malik described the Riyadh–Doha train as the first high-speed rail service in the region linking two countries. He said the line operates over a 785-km network, serving Hofuf and Dammam with speeds of up to 300km per hour.

The project connects King Salman International Airport in Riyadh with Hamad International Airport in Doha, strengthening air and rail integration between the two capitals and major cities along the corridor, he added.