A 1940s idea is on track as an engine of Kingdom’s development

A 1940s idea is on track as an engine of Kingdom’s development

RIYADH — The idea of establishing railways in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia started in the 1940s when the need then emerged to build a commercial port on the gulf coast to transport imported goods to warehouses of Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Aramco). The idea that Aramco suggested to establish a railway from Dammam to Riyadh included constructing a big commercial port that can receive big ships transporting equipment for the oil industry, in addition to the benefits of this port for the national economy. When the idea was referred to the late King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud he ordered the implementation of the entire project to reach Riyadh where the implementation of the scheme started on Oct. 21, 1947. On Oct. 20, 1951, the route was inaugurated in Riyadh during an official ceremony that was attended by the late King Abdulaziz and King Saud Bin Abdulaziz and several senior officials. The railway remained operational under the supervision of Aramco for a while before its affiliation was changed to the Ministry of Finance and was called the Railway Authority. A Royal Decree was issued on May 13, 1966 approving a constitutive act for the Saudi Railways Organization, under which