News
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SAR extends deadline for Riyadh section of Saudi Landbridge Administrator16 April 2026
Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has set a deadline of 29 April for a design-and-build contract for the construction of a new railway line, the Riyadh Rail Link, which will run from north to south Riyadh.
The tender was issued on 29 January. The previous bid submission deadline was 29 March.
The scope of work includes constructing a 35-kilometre-long double-track railway line connecting SAR’s North-South railway to the Eastern railway network.
The contract also covers the procurement, construction and installation of associated infrastructure such as viaducts, civil works, utility installations, signalling systems and other related works.
The project is expected to form a key component of the Saudi Landbridge railway.
In January, SAR said it will deliver the Saudi Landbridge project through a “new mechanism” by 2034, after failing to reach an agreement with a Chinese consortium for the construction of the project, as MEED reported.
In an interview with local media, SAR CEO Bashar Bin Khalid Al-Malik said the consortium failed to meet local content requirements and that the project will now be delivered in several phases under a different procurement model.
The project has been under negotiation between Saudi Arabia and China-backed investors keen to develop it through a public-private partnership.
Al-Malik said that the project cost is about SR100bn ($26.6bn).
It comprises more than 1,500 kilometres (km) 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.
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 pushTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16418597/main.gif -
Public Investment Fund backs Neom Administrator16 April 2026
Commentary
Colin Foreman
EditorRegister for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has backed Neom by including it as one of six strategic ecosystems in its newly approved 2026-30 strategy.
The future of the $500bn gigaproject had been thrown into doubt following the postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games at the Trojena mountain resort, the cancellation of construction contracts – such as the $5bn deal with Italian contractor Webuild for dam works at Trojena – and the slowdown of development at The Line, where tunnelling contracts were cancelled and staff left the project.
The backing comes as Neom’s operational focus appears to be evolving in response to shifting regional dynamics and global economic conditions. For example, on 15 April Neom posted on its official X account about a new Europe-Egypt-Neom-GCC corridor, describing it as a faster route for time-sensitive goods. It said the corridor combines trucking and ferry services to move goods quickly into the Gulf, adding that importers from several European markets are already using it to reach the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and beyond.
Powered by Pan Marine, DFDS and regional RoPax services, the initiative is positioned as a way to add flexibility and resilience to regional supply chains. This emphasis on logistics and immediate trade utility suggests a shift away from the more speculative architectural announcements that characterised Neom’s early years, towards activity more directly tied to current market realities.
PIF’s broader 2026-30 strategy places heavy emphasis on “delivering competitive domestic ecosystems to connect sectors, unlock the full potential of strategic assets, maximise long-term returns and continue to drive the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia”.
The inclusion of Neom as a standalone ecosystem within the Vision Portfolio suggests that while the project remains part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals, it will be subject to the fund's focus on working with the private sector.
That means the long-term success of Neom will increasingly depend on its ability to attract external investment and function as a viable economic hub rather than just a state-funded construction site.
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 pushTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16417262/main.jpeg -
Kuwait gas project worth $3.3bn put on hold Administrator16 April 2026
State-owned Kuwait Gulf Oil Company’s (KGOC’s) planned tender for the development of an onshore gas plant next to the Al-Zour refinery has been put on hold due to uncertainty created by the US and Israel’s war with Iran, according to industry sources.
The project budget is estimated to be $3.3bn, and the last meeting with contractors to discuss the project took place in Kuwait on 10 February.
Previously, it was expected to be tendered in late March, but the tendering process was delayed due to the regional conflict and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
One source said: “This tender is now effectively on hold while KGOC waits for increased stability in the region before it invites companies to bid for the contract.”
Under current plans, the plant will have the capacity to process up to 632 million cubic feet a day of gas and 88.9 million barrels a day of condensates from the Dorra offshore field, located in Gulf waters in the Saudi-Kuwait Neutral Zone.
Ownership of the field is disputed by Iran, which refers to the field as Arash.
Iran claims the field partially extends into Iranian territory and asserts that Tehran should be a stakeholder in its development.
It is believed that the Dorra field’s close proximity to Iran will make development difficult due to the current security environment.
The offshore elements of the project are expected to be especially difficult to protect from attacks from Iran.
In July last year, MEED reported that KGOC had initiated the project by launching an early engagement process with contractors for the main engineering, procurement and construction tender.
France-based Technip Energies completed the contract for the front-end engineering and design.
READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFEconomic 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> QATAR LNG: Qatar’s new $8bn investment heats up global LNG race> LEADERSHIP: Shaping the future of passenger rail in the Middle EastTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16413221/main.png -
Iraq pushes to revive oil pipeline through Saudi Arabia Administrator16 April 2026
Iraq is pushing to revive an oil pipeline that passes through Saudi Arabia, allowing it to diversify export routes.
Saheb Bazoun, a spokesman for Iraq’s Oil Ministry, said the pipeline would help to insulate Iraq from any future blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed since 28 February.
The original pipeline through Saudi Arabia has not been used for more than 30 years and would need work to be done in order to bring it online.
It is 1,568km long, extending from the city of Zubair in Iraq to the Saudi port of Yanbu on the Red Sea.
The pipeline was built in two phases during the 1980s. The first phase stretches between Zubair and Khurais, while the second extends to Yanbu. The pipeline’s operating capacity reached over 1.6 million barrels a day (b/d).
Following the Gulf War, the pipeline was shut down in August 1990. It has remained out of operation for decades, despite Iraq’s several attempts to restart it.
The original pipeline project cost over $2.6bn, including storage tanks and loading terminals.
In the wake of the US and Israel attacking Iran on 28 February, global markets have lost 11 million barrels a day (b/d) of oil supply due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFEconomic 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> QATAR LNG: Qatar’s new $8bn investment heats up global LNG race> LEADERSHIP: Shaping the future of passenger rail in the Middle EastTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16413290/main.jpg -
Public Investment Fund approves 2026-30 strategy Administrator16 April 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has approved and released details of its long-awaited strategy for 2026-30. The sovereign wealth fund has taken a leading role in driving the development of the kingdom since 2016 and its strategic goals will shape the kingdom’s economy for the coming five years.
The new strategy, which was approved by the PIF’s board of directors chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, follows a significant period of reprioritisation for the fund. After several years of reviewing the scale and delivery timelines of various gigaprojects, the fund is now pivoting towards a more focused investment model.
According to the announcement, “The strategy will focus on delivering competitive domestic ecosystems to connect sectors, unlock the full potential of strategic assets, maximise long-term returns and continue to drive the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia and further enhance the quality of life of its citizens.”
The emphasis on domestic priorities comes at a pivotal time for Saudi Arabia and the region. The internal focus gives the Saudi projects market greater resilience, fortifying local supply chains and industrial clusters that will help safeguard the kingdom’s economy amid heightened uncertainty resulting from the recent conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
To achieve its goals, the PIF has structured its investments into three distinct portfolios: the Vision Portfolio, the Strategic Portfolio and the Financial Portfolio. Central to the Vision Portfolio is a renewed commitment to the private sector. “PIF will further enable the role of the private sector as an effective partner for sustainable economic development,” it stated.
READ MORE: Saudi Arabia’s private sector picks up the baton
The drive for investment marks a shift in the Saudi development model; as the state-led initial investment phase matures, the entry of private capital is seen as vital for the long-term viability and operational efficiency of these massive undertakings.
The strategy identifies six core domestic ecosystems intended to drive non-oil GDP, specifically targeting tourism, travel and entertainment; urban development and liveability; advanced manufacturing and innovation; industrials and logistics; and clean energy, water and renewables infrastructure.
The list also includes Neom as a dedicated ecosystem. This explicit inclusion is significant given the scrutiny the project has faced over the past year. In January, it was confirmed that the Asian Winter Games would no longer take place at the Trojena mountain resort, and more recently, several major construction and consultancy contracts at Trojena have been cancelled.
READ MORE: Neom terminates $5bn Trojena dams contract with WeBuild
With reports of high-level departures and a general slowdown in work across various sites, many market observers had questioned the PIF’s continued backing of the project. This strategy signals a formal commitment to the development, albeit within a more structured framework that emphasises capital efficiency and institutional excellence.
PIF said the new strategy builds on a decade of rapid expansion that has seen assets under management grow from $150bn in 2015 to more than $900bn, achieving an annualised total shareholder return of over 7% since 2017.
Between 2021 and 2025, the fund invested more than $199bn in new projects in Saudi Arabia and contributed $243bn to real non-oil GDP. Furthermore, the PIF and its portfolio companies spent more than $157bn with the local private sector during that same period.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of PIF, said: “PIF’s strategy continues to deliver results as we grow domestically and internationally. In less than a decade, we have launched unprecedented projects, including gigaprojects and major real estate developments, in addition to unique investments in strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, gaming and esports, and renewable energy.
“PIF also grew assets under management six-fold and attracted global partners and capital to take part in Saudi Arabia’s transformation. PIF will continue to support Saudi Vision 2030 objectives by delivering competitive domestic ecosystems, investing in national champions that have the potential to scale globally, and forming global economic partnerships, building on what has been achieved under PIF’s 2021-25 strategy.
“The 2026-30 strategy is a natural next step in PIF’s growth journey. It offers our partners more opportunities to invest in high-quality assets and ecosystems, alongside PIF. In the next five years, we will continue to build on our great achievements and strengthen our global leadership to deliver success for PIF and Saudi Arabia.”
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 pushTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16417217/main.gif -
Algeria opens bidding for water treatment plant Administrator15 April 2026
State-owned Cosider Pipelines, part of Algeria’s public infrastructure group Cosider, has issued a tender for the construction of a demineralisation plant in In Salah in Algeria.
The contract covers the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a plant with a treatment capacity of 62,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d).
The tender is open to local and international companies specialising in the design and construction of demineralisation and reverse osmosis desalination plants.
The bid submission deadline is 26 April.
The project will be located at In Salah, a key industrial area in southern Algeria, where treated water supply is important for both municipal and industrial use.
Cosider said that individual bidders must demonstrate that they have completed at least one reverse osmosis demineralisation or desalination plant with a capacity of 20,000 cubic metres a day or more.
They must also show an average annual turnover of at least AD1bn ($7.7m) for their five best years over the past decade.
For consortium bids, all partners must share full responsibility for the contract, while the lead company must meet the technical and financial requirements.
Recent projects
In 2023, MEED reported that Riyadh-based water utility developer Wetico had won two contracts to develop water desalination plants in Algeria.
Societe Algerienne de Realisation de Projects Industriels (Sarpi) awarded the contract for the El-Tarf desalination plant, while Entreprise Nationale de Canalisations (Enac) is the client for the Bejaja facility.
Both plants were commissioned in 2025, each with a production capacity of 300,000 cm/d.
Separately, Wetico was the main contractor on a third plant commissioned last year. The Cap Dijinet 2 seawater desalination plant in Boumerdes province covers 18 hectares and also has a capacity of 300,000 cm/d.
Like many countries, Algeria is facing pressure on resources due to longer and more frequent droughts. Seawater desalination is seen as a key driver of the government’s strategy to guarantee drinking water supply.
According to previous reports, the government is planning to build up to six additional plants by 2030.
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WEBINAR: UAE Projects Market 2026 Administrator15 April 2026
Webinar: UAE Projects Market 2026
Tuesday, 28 April 2026 | 11:00 GST | Register now
Agenda:
- Overview of the UAE projects market landscape
- 2025 projects market performance
- Value of work awarded 2026 YTD
- Impact of the Iran conflict on the projects market and real estate, assessing supply chain disruptions, material cost inflation and war risk premiums
- Key drivers, challenges and opportunities
- Size of future pipeline by sector and status
- Ranking of the top contractors and clients
- Summary of key current and future projects
- Short and long-term market outlook
- Audience Q&A
Hosted by: Colin Foreman, editor of MEED
Colin Foreman is editor and a specialist construction journalist for news and analysis on MEED.com and the MEED Business Review magazine. He has been reporting on the region since 2003, specialising in the construction sector and its impact on the broader economy. He has reported exclusively on a wide range of projects across the region including Dubai Metro, the Burj Khalifa, Jeddah Airport, Doha Metro, Hamad International airport and Yas Island. Before joining MEED, Colin reported on the construction sector in Hong Kong.https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16401868/main.gif -
Saudi Landbridge finds its moment in Gulf turmoil Administrator15 April 2026
Commentary
Yasir Iqbal
Construction writerThe strategic case for the Saudi Landbridge has never been more urgent. SAR’s appointment of Spain’s Typsa as lead design consultant, reported by MEED this week, is more than a procurement milestone. After two decades of delays, it reflects how the long-deferred project has become a strategic necessity.
The conflict reshaping the Middle East has made that necessity more immediate. Red Sea transits are costly and unpredictable. The Strait of Hormuz carries risk no insurer can fully price. Saudi Arabia’s most valuable exports, including crude oil, refined products, petrochemicals and industrial goods, move almost entirely by sea through routes that are no longer reliably secure.
The kingdom sits between two coastlines with no rail link connecting them. That gap is now an economic exposure.
The $27bn project addresses it directly. More than 1,500 kilometres of track, anchored by a 900km railway between Riyadh and Jeddah, will provide direct freight access from King Abdullah Port on the Red Sea, with upgrades to the Riyadh-Dammam line and a new connection to Yanbu.
Together, they create what Saudi Arabia has never had: a continuous land corridor linking Gulf industrial ports to Red Sea export terminals, entirely within its own borders.
The commercial implications are substantial. Aramco’s downstream output, Sabic’s chemicals, and the manufacturing clusters of Jubail and Yanbu gain flexible access to both coasts.
Exporters targeting Europe and the Americas load at Jeddah; those serving Asia pivot east to Dammam by rail, on demand, without Hormuz risk or Red Sea freight surcharges.
No neighbouring economy has that optionality. The network also underpins a broader economic ambition. Connecting Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Jubail, Yanbu, King Abdullah port and King Khalid airport by rail positions the kingdom as a genuine logistics corridor between East and West.
With design now under way and construction tenders expected imminently, the Landbridge is closer to reality than at any point in its troubled history. Regional disruption did not create this project. But it has made the argument for it unanswerable.
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 pushTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16401567/main.png -
Indian firm selected for Saudi sewage treatment project Administrator15 April 2026
Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company is understood to have recently selected Indian contractor VA Tech Wabag as its preferred bidder for a contract to expand a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Al-Majmaah in Riyadh Province.
The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package for the Al-Majmaah STP has an estimated value of $65m.
The scope includes the construction of sewage treatment plant units, a pumping station and an effluent surplus line. It also covers the installation of a Scada system, supervisory control systems and associated facilities.
As MEED understands, six bids were submitted last year, including from local firms Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies, Al-Rafia Contracting, Civil Works Company, Saudi Sdn Water & Energy and Washnah Trading & Contracting.
The project forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader push to expand treatment and reuse infrastructure under Vision 2030, particularly across the Riyadh region.
MEED recently revealed that NWC had awarded an EPC contract for the latest phase of its long-term operations and maintenance sewage treatment programme.
The contract to build and upgrade sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of about 440,000 cubic metres a day was awarded to a consortium led by China’s Jiangsu United Water Technology.
Elsewhere, a joint venture of Kuwait-based Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding and Wabag is awaiting the formal contract award for phase two of Kuwait’s Doha seawater desalination plant project.
The firms submitted the lowest bid of $373.2m for the project last year.
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SAR extends phosphate rail track deadline Administrator15 April 2026
Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR) has extended the bid submission deadline to 26 April for a multibillion-riyal tender to double the tracks on the existing phosphate transport railway network connecting the Waad Al-Shamal mines to Ras Al-Khair in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
The new tender – covering the second section of the track-doubling works and spanning more than 150 kilometres (km) – was issued on 9 February. The previous bid submission deadline was 15 April.
The new tender follows SAR receiving bids from contractors on 1 February for the project’s first phase, which spans about 100km from the AZ1/Nariyah Yard to Ras Al-Khair.
The scope includes track doubling, alignment modifications, new utility bridges, culvert widening and hydrological structures, as well as the conversion of the AZ1 siding into a mainline track. It also includes support for signalling and telecommunications systems.
The tender notice was issued in late November, with a bid submission deadline of 20 January 2026.
Switzerland-based engineering firm ARX is the project consultant.
MEED understands that these two packages are the first of four that SAR is expected to tender for the phosphate railway line. Other packages expected to be tendered shortly include the depot and systems packages.
In 2023, MEED reported that SAR was planning two projects to increase its freight capacity, including an estimated SR4.2bn ($1.1bn) project to install a second track along the North Train Freight Line and construct three new freight yards.
Formerly known as the North-South Railway, the North Train is a 1,550km-long freight line running from the phosphate and bauxite mines in the far north of the kingdom to the Al-Baithah junction. There, it diverges into a line southward to Riyadh and a second line running east to downstream fertiliser production and alumina refining facilities at Ras Al-Khair on the Gulf coast.
Adding a second track and the freight yards will significantly increase the network’s cargo-carrying capacity and facilitate increased industrial production. Project implementation is expected to take four years.
State-owned SAR is also considering increasing the localisation of railway materials and equipment, including the construction of a cement sleeper manufacturing facility.
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