The Cabinet meeting, presided over by King Abdullah, approved the construction of the railway line which will link the western part of the Kingdom on the Red Sea coast to its eastern part on the Arabian Gulf.

The Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers has approved a landbridge project linking the Jeddah Islamic Port to Dammam and Jubail seaports through the existing railway network between Riyadh and Dammam.

Etihad Rail has appointed China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corporation Limited (CSR) to supply 240 covered wagons for the carriage of granulated sulphur in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.

Stage 1 construction of the Mecca Mass Rail Transit project (MMRT) is set to begin in 2013 with services due to begin in 2017.

UAE-based Advance Rail Group (ARG) has joined up with a major Saudi Arabia contractor to bid on more than US$800 million worth of future rail opportunities in the Kingdom.