The first railway in the Arabian peninsula was the 1050mm gauge Hejaz Railway from Damascus to Medina. Construction started in 1900, and the line reached Al Madinah (Medina) in 1908. It was proposed to continue the line to Makkah (Mecca), but this section was never constructed. Ostensibly a line to carry pilgrims on the Hajj, commentators have seen its real purpose as a political tool to bring the Hejaz region more closely within the Ottoman fold. Whatever the facts, the southern section of the railway was largely destroyed during the First World War (not least owing to the actions of Arab tribesmen led by T E Lawrence - better known as Lawrence of Arabia). The line south of what was to become the Jordanian border never reopened. A few derelict sections of track and some locomotives and rolling stock are preserved as tourist attractions.
The present day Saudi railway system centres around a 570km standard gauge (1435mm) line between Riyadh (the capital) and the seaport Dammam, opened in 1951. In 1985, another line was opened taking a slightly more direct route between Riyadh and the intermediate station of Haffouf. Passenger services of comfortable air-conditioned trains with dining facilities operate three times daily in each direction.
Ambitious projects for major new railways were put in hand in the early part of the 21st century. A 1400km section of the North South Railway, from Al-Haditha near the Jordanian border to the new port of Ras Al-Khair opened in 2011.
© 2004-2011
Glyn Williams
Flag image from CIA World Factbook
