Assalamu Alaikum - Alstom expands role in Saudi rail with 12 active projects
Assalamu Alaikum. I read that French transport company Alstom is carrying out 12 active railway projects across Saudi Arabia, according to their CEO for the Kingdom and the Middle East.
In a chat during the Saudi International Railway Exhibition and Conference, Mohamed Khalil said these projects cover everything from design and construction to operation and maintenance. Alstom is also a key partner in Riyadh’s metro, supplying trains and systems for four of the six lines.
They noted a big rise in rail use - passenger numbers jumped by about 335% year-on-year to 39 million in Q3 2025, helped by the full opening of the Riyadh Metro. Khalil said the country is seeing a boom in rail work, and many cities need better links - for example between Jeddah, Dammam, Al-Ula and Riyadh.
The Riyadh Metro has changed how people travel, he added. Even though some were unsure if a metro would work in the heat, it carried roughly 100 million passengers in its first nine months and is now a main mode of daily transport for many.
Khalil described Alstom as a “global local company” in Saudi Arabia, saying they have been present for 70 years and hope to remain part of the country’s infrastructure development for a long time.
The conference was opened by the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh Al-Jasser, who said modern rail is now a key pillar of national development and helps trade and mining. Bashar Al-Malik, CEO of Saudi Railways Co., also said the kingdom is working to complete the remaining sections of a railway that would link it with other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. A 200-km stretch from Dammam to Ras Al-Khair via Jubail is already finished and in use, while the full GCC link awaits leaders’ approval.
Saudi Arabia’s rail network now exceeds 5,500 km, including northern lines toward the Jordan border and eastern lines to the Gulf coast. The Haramain High-Speed Railway continues to connect the blessed cities of Makkah and Madinah with one of the world's fastest electric trains.
May Allah make these developments beneficial and safe for everyone.
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