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  Spanish firm wins Saudi Landbridge design

  14 April 2026

  

   

  Spanish engineering firm Typsa has won the lead design consultancy services contract for the long-planned Saudi Landbridge railway network.

  Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) issued the tender in April last year. It included concept design and options development for the preliminary and Issued for Construction (IFC) design stages of the network, as MEED reported.

  The estimated SR100bn ($27bn) project comprises more than 1,500km of new track. The core component is a 900km new railway between Riyadh and Jeddah, which will provide direct freight access to the capital from King Abdullah Port on the Red Sea.

  Other key sections include upgrading the existing Riyadh-Dammam line, a bypass around the capital called the Riyadh Link, and a link between King Abdullah Port and Yanbu.

  The Saudi Landbridge is one of the kingdom’s most anticipated project programmes. Plans to develop it were first announced in 2004, but put on hold in 2010 before being revived a year later. Key stumbling blocks were rights-of-way issues, route alignment and its high cost.

  In January, SAR said it would deliver the Saudi Landbridge project through a "new mechanism" by 2034, after failing to reach an agreement with a Chinese consortium to construct it.

  In an interview with local media, SAR CEO Bashar Bin Khalid Al-Malik said the consortium failed to meet local content requirements, and the project would now be delivered in several phases through a different procurement model.

  In December 2023, MEED reported that a team comprising US-based Hill International, Italy’s Italferr and Spain’s Sener had been awarded the contract to provide project management services for the programme.

  If it proceeds, the Saudi Landbridge will be one of the largest railway projects ever undertaken in the Middle East and among the biggest globally.

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Trump insider key in brokering Libya budget deal

  14 April 2026

  Commentary
  Wil Crisp
  Oil & gas reporter

  Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Donald Trump’s youngest daughter and an adviser to the US president, is being credited by many Libyans as being instrumental in brokering the country’s recent budget agreement.

  The Central Bank of Libya confirmed on 11 April that the country’s rival legislative bodies had approved a unified state budget for the first time in more than 13 years.

  The budget is valued at LD190bn ($29.95bn), with LD12bn ($1.9bn) allocated to the country’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), and LD40bn ($6.3bn) allocated for “development projects”.

  After the Central Bank’s announcement, Boulos posted on social media, stating that he had called the Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, to congratulate him on the deal.

  In his social media post, the Lebanese-American businessman said that during the call, they discussed “the vital role of the National Oil Corporation in maintaining and expanding oil and gas production”.

  Boulos was appointed as the US president’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs in January last year and first travelled to Libya in July the same year, when he met with leaders from both of the country’s rival legislatures.

  Since his first trip, he has ramped up US diplomatic activity in the country and held meetings in Tripoli and Benghazi during January of this year.

  In February, speaking at a UN Security Council session on Libya, he said that the US was ‘‘working on concrete steps for economic and military integration by bringing together senior officials from eastern and western Libya”.

  During the same session, which took place less than two months ago, the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Hanna Tetteh, said: ‘‘Regrettably, there has been no meaningful progress between the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) in completing the first two steps of the roadmap, despite UNSMIL’s efforts’’.

  Many Libyans credit Boulos’ ability to secure compromises from both of Libya’s legislatures to his decision to deviate from the UN roadmap, which focuses on moving towards a new round of elections to create a unified government.

  One source said: “The priority of the US in Libya isn’t holding elections; it’s doing commercial deals that the US can benefit from – especially in the oil sector.

  “The timing of this latest budget deal isn’t accidental. Right now, the US is desperate to bring new oil and gas production online in order to help lower global oil prices.

  “Forging a deal between the HoR and the HCS is a great way of bringing large volumes of crude onto the market in a relatively short timeframe.”

  Donald Trump is coming under increasing pressure domestically due to high oil prices after partnering with Israel in his war against Iran, which started on 28 February.

  As a result of the conflict, global markets are losing 11 million barrels a day (b/d) of oil supply due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

  On top of this, 20% of the world’s LNG production cannot be shipped.

  The energy crunch has caused prices to spike and sent countries that are dependent on imported oil and gas scrambling to secure new supplies.

  Libya has Africa’s largest oil reserves and has the potential to produce much more than its current 1.43 million barrels a day.

  One of the central reasons NOC has struggled to bring new production online over recent years has been the ongoing political gridlock over the country’s budget.

  Now, many Libyans are expecting hundreds of projects across all sectors to start moving forward in the country.

  The budget approval has sparked a surge of optimism about potential development and economic growth, but the country’s political and security situation remains fragile.

  It remains to be seen whether the pragmatic dealmaking of Boulos will lead to long-term stability.

  

   

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Dubai moves to next phase of Al-Quoz sewerage project

  13 April 2026

  

   

  Dubai Municipality’s AED500m ($136m) sewerage and stormwater network development project in Al-Quoz Creative Zone is on track for full completion by January 2027, a source has told MEED.

  The timeline follows Dubai Municipality’s announcement that it has completed the first phase at a cost of AED250m ($68m).

  Phase one included the construction of sewerage and stormwater drainage networks covering 155 hectares and 123 plots. Dubai Municipality said it laid 15 kilometres of sewerage pipelines with diameters ranging from 160mm to 1,600mm. It also developed 14 kilometres of stormwater drainage lines with pipe diameters of between 200mm and 3,000mm.

  The overall project covers Al-Quoz Industrial Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as the area between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al-Khail Road. It spans 1,600 hectares and covers more than 1,507 plots.

  It is understood that the second phase covers the remaining sections of the project beyond the 155-hectare area completed under phase one.

  Local firm DeTech Contracting is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor on both phases of the scheme.

  The scheme forms part of Dubai’s wider sewerage system development programme and aligns with the AED30bn ($8.1bn) Tasreef programme, which aims to expand stormwater drainage capacity across the emirate.

  The municipality recently opened a tender for a stormwater drainage project covering the Al-Marmoum, Al-Qudra and Al-Yalayis 2 & 3 areas.

  The project is intended to improve stormwater drainage along major roads and surrounding areas within the project zone.

  The works will include the construction of a major gravity drainage system with pipelines of up to 1,600 millimetres in diameter.

  In February, the municipality confirmed it had awarded contracts for five new projects under phase two of the programme to expand and strengthen Dubai’s stormwater drainage network.

  These include two contracts awarded to DeTech Contracting and one to China State Construction Engineering Corporation for stormwater drainage infrastructure.

  In addition, two consultancy contracts were awarded for the study and design of drainage systems in selected areas across the emirate.

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  Mark Dowdall
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  Qiddiya signs sports medical centre project deal

  13 April 2026

  Saudi gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) and King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) have signed an agreement to establish a sports medical centre within the Qiddiya city project in Riyadh.

  The agreement was signed at KFSHRC’s headquarters in Riyadh by Majid Alfayyadh, CEO of KFSHRC, and Abdullah Al-Dawood, managing director of QIC.

  The facility will provide specialised sports medicine services in line with international standards, the partners said.

  The goal of the agreement is “to create a dedicated centre that supports professional athletes, rising talents and community members, helping to advance sports healthcare in Saudi Arabia”, they said in a statement.

  Under the agreement, KFSHRC will provide technical and operational support, supervise the centre’s operations, and ensure high-quality, integrated services that combine clinical care with research and innovation.

  The Qiddiya Sports Medical Centre will offer services including injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and performance improvement.

  The Qiddiya project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to UK analytics firm GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth in recent years.

  The kingdom’s tourism sector posted record-breaking numbers last year, with over 130 million domestic and international visitors entering the kingdom, representing a 6% increase over 2024.

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  MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

  > COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
  > GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
  > BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
  > UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
  > DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
  > POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
  > WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
  > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
  > TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  Yasir Iqbal
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  Saudi Arabia restores capacity of affected oil and gas assets

  13 April 2026

  Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy has announced the restoration of full capacity at critical oil and gas infrastructure damaged in attacks by Iran on 9 April.

  The attacks led to the loss of approximately 700,000 barrels a day (b/d) of crude pumping capacity on the East-West oil pipeline, which has been restored to its optimum capacity of 7 million b/d, the ministry said on 12 April.

  The Manifa oil field development in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, which lost 300,000 b/d of production due to the attacks, has also had its output capacity reinstated “within a short period of time”, the ministry said.

  The ministry added that work is still ongoing to restore full production capacity at the Khurais oil field, which also lost 300,000 b/d of capacity in the attacks.

  “This quick recovery reflects the high operational resilience and crisis management efficiency of Saudi Aramco and the kingdom’s energy ecosystem as a whole, thereby enhancing the reliability and continuity of supplies to local and global markets, and supporting the global economy,” the Ministry of Energy said.

  Along with the East-West pipeline and the Manifa and Khurais oil field developments, the attacks on 9 April also targeted oil refineries, petrochemical complexes and electricity units in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.

  These assets include the Saudi Aramco Total Refining & Petrochemical Company (Satorp) facility in Jubail, Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery, the Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company (Samref) complex in Yanbu, and the Riyadh refinery, directly affecting exports of refined products to global markets.

  Processing facilities in Juaymah in the Eastern Province were also affected by fires, impacting exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas liquids.

  The ministry’s 12 April statement did not provide updates on the status of those facilities.

  Prior to the 9 April attacks, Saudi authorities reported explosions in Jubail industrial city on 7 April. Saudi air defence systems intercepted seven ballistic missiles targeting the Eastern Province that day, with debris landing near energy facilities, primarily in Jubail.

  Jubail is one of the world’s largest petrochemical production hubs, with annual output of about 60 million tonnes, accounting for an estimated 6%-8% of global supply. A large part of majority state-owned Saudi Basic Industries Corporation’s (Sabic) operations is based in Jubail.

  Jubail also hosts major downstream oil, gas and petrochemical assets operated by Aramco, US-based Dow and France’s TotalEnergies, underscoring the industrial zone’s international significance.

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  READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf economies under fire > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift > MARKET FOCUS: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift > LEGAL: Redefining the region’s arbitration landscape > QATAR LNG: Qatar’s new $8bn investment heats up global LNG race > INTERVIEW: Leyla Abdimomunova, National Development Division, PIF > LEADERSHIP: Shaping the future of passenger rail in the Middle East

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

   

  

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  Indrajit Sen