Saudi Arabia Orders 3,400 Railcars from Greenbrier

Saudi Arabia has placed an order with Greenbrier Companies for 3,400 railcars worth $600 million, as announced by the New York-listed company. The order includes a variety of carriage types, such as 780 railcars designated for the state-run Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR), as well as tank cars for transporting phosphoric acid and molten sulphur. This initiative aims to bolster freight transportation capacity and infrastructure development within the kingdom, according to Greenbrier. In a related development, Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with France’s Alstom for the maintenance of the locomotive fleet on the kingdom’s North-South corridor rail freight service. The five-year maintenance contract, valued at €22 million ($25 million), was awarded by SAR, as stated by Alstom. The North-South corridor, spanning 1,550km, facilitates the transportation of nearly 13.5 million tonnes of freight annually, linking mining sites to processing facilities and export points. In January 2024, Saudi Arabia approved a project to double the north train freight line, with an estimated investment of SAR4 billion ($1.1 billion). This expansion is part of SAR's broader strategy to enhance logistics connectivity between ports and cargo terminals within the kingdom and with neighbouring countries.