The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) has short-listed six consortiums for the Makkah-Madinah Rail Link (MMRL) project.

The short-listed  companies have been issued the Request for Technical Proposals (RFTP), Abdul Aziz Al-Hokail, president of SRO, was quoted by Arab news as saying in a statement.

The RFTP has been issued to the six consortiums of Saudi Binladen, Al-Rajhi (MADA), Saudi Oger, Saudi Japanese, Al-Shola MMRL and OHL, he said.

The MMRL Project envisages laying of a 450-km high-speed passenger rail track between Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah.

The railway project contract will also include the construction of passenger stations in Makkah, Jeddah Airport, Jeddah City and Madinah.