Dammam-Riyadh Line
| Dammam–Riyadh line | |||
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A train on the Dammam–Riyadh Line.
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| Overview | |||
| Type | Inter-city rail | ||
| Locale | Eastern Province and Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Termini |
Dammam Riyadh |
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| Stations | 4 | ||
| Website | saudirailways |
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| Operation | |||
| Opened | 1981 | ||
| Owner | Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) | ||
| Character | At-grade | ||
| Rolling stock | CAF push-pull train | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 449 km (279 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | 2 | ||
| Track gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | ||
| Electrification | None | ||
| Operating speed | 180 km/h (110 mph) | ||
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The Dammam–Riyadh Line is a passenger railway line in Saudi Arabia, linking the Eastern Province's capital city of Dammam with the Saudi capital Riyadh. The 449 km line has 4 stations. It is operated by the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO).
The Dammam–Riyadh Line was opened in 1981.
There is an upgrade ongoing, where bridges replace level crossings and a bypass of the centre city of Hofuf. This shall allow 200 km/h speed.
In 2014, the SRO awarded a contract worth US $1.6 million to a consortium led by Spanish firm Consultrans to study alignments for a high-speed line linking Riyadh and Dammam.
In December 2015, the SRO President stated that the speed of trains on the line would be raised from 140 km/h to 160 km/h before the end of the year, and would further be increased to 180 km/h in 2016. On 7 December 2015, SRO began operating passenger services on the line using new CAF push-pull trainsets which operate at 180 km/h. The trains entered service just as the SRO had completed double-tracking of the entire 449 km line.
On 17 February 2017 at about 1:00 am, a train on the line derailed near Dammam, injuring 18 people, after flooding from torrential rains caused the rail line to erode. The train was carrying 193 passengers and six crew members. SRO stated that all injuries were minor. All passengers were transferred to another train and transported to Dammam station. The line was closed for repair following the accident, and SRO suspended all rail services to Dammam. Services were only operated between Riyadh and Hofuf. Full services were expected to resume by 23 February 2017.
The stations at Dammam, Hufuf and Riyadh were designed by Lucio Barbera and designed and built between 1978 and 1980. They were opened for public service in 1981. The terminus stations in Dammam and Riyadh are extremely similar and consist of a rectangular hall of three naves separated by two lines of pillars along the ends of the tracks and two wings at the ends of the main hall along the outer tracks. The design is based on the layout of some mosques along the Mediterranean Sea, where the prayer hall is located at one side of a court with lesser wings along the sides of the court. The style and decoration of the buildings uses elements such as triangular openings to construct windows and arcades and parapets with rectangular steps, elements bearing a resemblance to Nejd architecture but also common in other Arab architecture. The station building in Hufuf lies to the east of the through line along one side. The decoration is very similar to the stations in Dammam and Riyadh.
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