Webuild & Sajco sign joint agreement to build high-speed railway in NEOM

Webuild & Sajco sign joint agreement to build high-speed railway in NEOM

Webuild, an Italian industrial group specializing in construction and civil engineering, and its joint venture partner Saudi-based Shibh Al Jazira Contracting Company (Sajco), have signed a contract worth $1.53 billion to design and build 57 km of a high-speed railway in NEOM, along the north Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.

The contract covers the design and builds for the major part of the Connector, a railway connecting Oxagon, NEOM’s center for advanced and clean industries with The Line, a future-forward city. As a result of this agreement, Webuild anticipates more than 4,000 direct and indirect jobs to be generated in the Saudi market, the company said.

NEOM, a region designed as a blueprint for sustainable urban living with enhanced livability, is among Saudi Arabia’s key giga-projects. The Line is a continuous, 170-km-long city with no traditional roads or cars that will be able to accommodate a population of up to nine million people on a footprint of just 34 sq km.

Once completed, NEOM will be powered by 100 percent clean energy, through renewable solar, wind and green hydrogen-based energy.

The JV agreement is split 70/30 between Webuild, through its local branch and its unit Salini Saudi Arabia, and Sajco. The partnership includes