Saudi Arabia recently officially launched the market-oriented bidding process for the Qiddiya High Speed Railway (also known as Q-Express) project, which will connect Riyadh King Salman International Airport, King Abdullah Financial District, and Qiddiya City. The project is expected to reach a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour and can shorten travel time between the three locations to less than 30 minutes after completion.

The project is led by the Royal Commission of Riyadh City, jointly promoted with Qiddiya Investment Company and the National Center for Privatization and Public Private Partnership. It has issued a notice of intention to the market in September this year, which has attracted the attention of multiple international companies. It is reported that the project was originally planned to be developed in a traditional mode, but now it has been decided to adopt a public-private partnership model to improve project operation efficiency and attract social capital participation.

According to the plan, the route will be implemented in two stages:

The first phase will focus on connecting Qiddiya City, King Abdullah Financial District, and King Khalid International Airport to build a core transportation corridor;

The second phase will start with a large-scale development project called "Arctic" and extend to the New Muraba Development Zone, King Salman Park, Riyadh city center, and Southern Industrial City, further improving the urban rail network.

It is worth noting that the "Arctic" development project is expected to include a 2-kilometer super tall tower proposed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which is expected to become the tallest building in the world. Its connection with high-speed railways will further enhance the regional development value.

To ensure the smooth progress of the project, the Saudi side has formed a professional advisory team: Egis from France serves as the technical advisor, Ernst&Young from the UK serves as the transaction advisor, and Latham&Watkins law firm from the US provides legal advisory support.

Qiddiya City, as one of the five super projects officially recognized by Saudi Arabia, has a total planned area of 376 square kilometers, of which 223 square kilometers are undeveloped land. In the future, it will be built into a comprehensive destination integrating sports, entertainment, and culture. The Qiddiya high-speed railway is not only a key transportation support in the region, but also an important infrastructure project for Saudi Arabia to promote the economic transformation of the "2030 Vision" and enhance the connectivity level of the capital region. Keywords: Middle East news and information, Middle East international news

With the initiation of the bidding process, this iconic transportation project is expected to attract more international railway construction and operation companies to compete.Editor/Cheng Liting