Neom is one step closer to constructing railway link: Saudi Arabia’s USD 500 bn mega project Neom has awarded a EUR 1.4 bn contract for the construction of a railway line connecting its industrial hub Oxagon to its residential area, The Line, Arab News reports, citing a report from MEED. A joint venture by Italy-based Webuild and KSA’s Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting (SAJCO) will reportedly undertake construction of the new route, dubbed Connector South.

Details: The 75 km-long rail link will include 14 viaducts, road and railway underpasses, a freight line, as well as infrastructure maintenance depots and auxiliary facilities, the agency reported. The connection will cut south from The Line to Neom City station, transiting via Neom Bay Mansions and Neom Bay Airport before reaching the end of the line at Oxagon.

Also on board: Egis subsidiary AuditSafe and French railway certification agency Certifer were brought on board as independent safety auditors for the project late last year.

And still to come: Tenders for additional contracts that will see construction of tunnels linking the new railway with adjoining developments are still underway, the report added.

About Oxagon: The floating industrial complex project was launched in November 2021 and is centered around the Duba seaport on Neom’s southwest corner. It is composed of both onshore and floating offshore elements and is slated to be a tech and industry hub with an emphasis on sustainable energy, robotics, sustainable food production, and digital manufacturing. Residents will begin to inhabit the city by 2024, according to Neom’s website.

About The Line: Construction on the linear city that is slated to house 1 mn residents began in January 2021. The project is a world-first and will see mirror-faced high-rises linked along a 170 km-long infrastructure corridor. The linear city is centered around inter-linked neighborhoods that are free of automobiles with high levels of digital connectivity and automation. The first modules of The Line will be activated in 2026 and by 2030.


An older version of the story had put the value of the contract at USD 2 bn, based on a report by MEED. A press release published later by WeBuild noted that the value of the contract is EUR 1.4 bn. We’ve amended the story to reflect the correct figure.

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