$67m Saudi railway contract for new wagons

Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) President Mohamed Al-Suwaiket has signed a $67 million contract with Freight Car America Inc. USA to supply the SRO with 500 wagons for transportation of cement, cereals, limestone and ballast.
The contract is meant to upgrade SRO’s fleet of freight wagons and enhance its operational capacity to meet increasing demand for transportation of cement, cereals, limestone and rocks, he said.
Al-Suwaiket said the wagons will be manufactured by Freight Car America Inc. with high-tech specifications approved by American Automobile Association (AAA) and the delivery of wagons will be within 12 months.
SRO PR Chief Mohamed K. Abuzaid said the contract signed by SRO with the American Company to supply the wagons is for enhancement of the partnership with the private sector in the Kingdom as the wagons will be allocated to meet the growing demand for transportation of cereals, cement, limestone and rock by companies such as ARASCO, Cement, Al Belha and Geerco.
According to Abuzaid, the new wagons fulfill international high-tech specifications equipped with highly efficient of ABDX and UBX brake system.
The wagons’ life span is 30 years and capacity of each wagon is 100 tons, he said.
Abuzaid added that the SRO is also keen for localization of railways industry particularly in operation and maintenance field. With respect to this contract, the contract expressly provides training opportunities in maintenance and operation for Saudi engineers and technicians inside and outside the Kingdom.