The Saudi Land Bridge Project: Linking Jeddah to Dammam and New Directives
In accordance with the directives of the Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Governor of Makkah Region, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Region and Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Land Bridge Project, chaired an important meeting at the Governorate headquarters. The meeting was dedicated to reviewing the latest developments related to the Land Bridge Project and discussing the necessary mechanisms to support the progress of this massive national project.
In a move aimed at accelerating progress and ensuring quality implementation, His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Mishaal issued a directive to form a technical committee, a subcommittee of the steering committee. This committee will be responsible for close on-site monitoring of the work, providing all forms of logistical and technical support, and proactively addressing any obstacles that may arise during the project's implementation phases.
A key pillar of Vision 2030
This intensified official activity stems from the paramount importance of the Land Bridge project within the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, specifically the National Transport and Logistics Strategy launched by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The project aims to solidify the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub connecting three continents through a state-of-the-art railway network linking Red Sea ports with ports in the Arabian Gulf.
This project is one of the largest transportation projects in the Middle East and the world, connecting Jeddah to Dammam via the capital, Riyadh. Its role extends beyond mere geographical connectivity, linking major industrial centers and strategic ports such as King Abdullah Port, Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, and the industrial cities of Jubail and Yanbu.
Huge economic and developmental returns
The land bridge is expected to bring about a qualitative shift in shipping and trade, as it will directly contribute to enhancing the efficiency of supply chains, reducing transportation costs, and shortening the time required to transport goods between the east and west of the Kingdom, instead of relying entirely on maritime transport, which takes longer.
The project also includes the construction of seven large logistics centers strategically located along the route, which will enhance the Kingdom's capacity to store and distribute goods regionally and internationally. Furthermore, the project will create numerous job opportunities, providing thousands of positions for Saudi nationals in engineering, operations, maintenance, and logistics, thus supporting the national economy and increasing the non-oil sector's contribution to GDP.
