Parsons Brinckerhoff and Fluor appointed to Saudi Landbridge

Parsons Brinckerhoff and Fluor have won the contract to provide project management consulting services for the design and construction of a new rail line between the Red Sea and Persian Gulf in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Landbridge project is a 950 km double-track railway connecting Jeddah on the Red Sea—the busiest port in Saudi Arabia and a major gateway for cargo from Europe and North America—with the city of Riyadh. The new railway will connect with the existing 450 km line between Riyadh and King Abdul Aziz Port at Dammam—another major commercial port in Saudi Arabia—on the Gulf coast. The project also includes a new 115 km extension between Dammam and Jubail. The Saudi Landbridge project is being developed as a state-funded project by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

Parsons Brinckerhoff carried out the original planning for the project in 1997 as part of the overall planning for railway programs in Saudi Arabia. The firm will be providing project management services for the Saudi Landbridge in association with Fluor, which was awarded the management consultancy contract by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The contract period is approximately eight years.

Parsons Brinckerhoff will provide support complex structures on the new route such as the tunnels and bridges. The project will include several civil and track contracts, at least one design-build civil and track works contract in the vicinity of Jeddah, and a significant amount of tunnelling and earthworks.

The new railway is designed to be a freight route first and foremost, and is expected to cut the port-to-port connection time to just 10 hours, from the current three days. The railway will also be used for passenger transport.