Systra Leads Bid for GCC Rail Design Consultancy in Saudi Arabia

French engineering firm Systra has emerged as the frontrunner to provide design consultancy services for the Saudi Arabian section of the GCC railway network. This railway is intended to link all six member states of the GCC. The tender covers the concept, preliminary, and issued-for-construction design stages. Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) requires the selected consultant to review, update, and complete the existing preliminary design.

Consultants submitted proposals on 14 July, as reported by MEED. Saudi Arabia’s section of the railway will start at Al-Khafji in the Eastern Province, near the border with Kuwait, and end at Al-Batha, on Saudi Arabia’s border with the UAE. Tendering is also ongoing for a separate contract involving design management and review to oversee engineering works on the GCC railway network.

The tender was issued on 9 September, with a submission deadline of 18 October. It seeks a consultant to manage, audit, and verify deliverables produced by SAR’s separately appointed design services consultant, rather than carry out the design itself. Construction will be tendered separately through competitive bidding once designs are approved.

The GCC railway will run for about 672km inside Saudi Arabia, linking the kingdom’s existing network to Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain. The line is planned as a single-track, non-electrified corridor for mixed freight and passenger traffic, with a maximum axle load of 32.4 tonnes and passing loops for bidirectional working.

Under the overall plan, the railway will run from Kuwait, pass through Dammam in Saudi Arabia, reach Bahrain via a planned causeway, and continue from Dammam to Qatar, the UAE, and, ultimately, Muscat via Sohar in Oman. The railway is reported to cover about 2,186km in total.