BrazilRoyal HaskoningDHV wins contract for Saudi Arabia high-speed railway
Engineering, design and project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV has been awarded a consulting contract to conduct a market study for the new Saudi Arabian high-speed railway.
The Haramain high-speed rail project which is also known in the Kingdom as the Western Railway is a 453 kilometre long, high-speed intercity rail system which connects Makkah to Madinah, via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City.
The Dutch firm – which has over 100 offices worldwide – is a global expert in the fields of aviation, buildings, energy, industry, infrastructure, maritime, mining, transport, urban and rural development and water.
Royal Haskoning will provide the Al-Shoula Consortium, the agency running the railway service on behalf of the Saudi Railways Organisation, with surveys that will examine in detail current travel patterns, potential passenger profiles, economic characteristics and customer expectations towards the rail service.
These studies will be undertaken at strategic locations such as highway check-points, bus and taxi interchanges in Makkah and Jeddah, important areas in King Abdulaziz International Airport terminals, and aboard the train itself.
Furthermore, the firm will conduct a comprehensive technical analysis to predict how the passenger demand for the service will grow in the future. The surveys will also include data on the “current travel patterns, potential passenger profiles, economic characteristics and customer expectations”.
Royal HaskoningDHV’s Director of Transport and Planning, Marwan Al Azzawi, said the company put its name forward for the project as it has a wealth of expertise in railways and transport planning as well as extensive knowledge of Saudi business.
"We have been working in the Middle East for over 50 years and our local knowledge of Saudi Arabia, combined with the international expertise in railways and transport planning, makes us well placed to undertake this important market study," said Al Azzawi.
"Our work will enable the government in Saudi Arabia to deliver this world-class high speed railway service for the country," he concluded.
The consulting firm is also working with the Saudi Railway Company with its new North-South railway network. Royal HaskoningDHV are providing project management consultancy for the interior design, procurement and supervision of all 71 main buildings along the 2750 km long railway line.
