6 August 2004
Middle East Economic Digest
© 2004, Emap Communications. All rights reserved

The advisory team on the Saudi railway expansion programme has been completed following the appointment of Linklaters as legal adviser. Working in partnership with the Saudi Law Office of Abdulaziz H Fahad, the firm saw off competition from six other groups to advise on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) programme. The client is the Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO).

The London-based law firm joins technical adviser, a consortium of Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF), and financial adviser National Commercial Bank (NCB) and UBS Warburg (MEED 27:2:04).

The SRO programme calls for the construction of two new railway lines. A 950- kilometre line connecting the existing railway network to Jeddah will complete the railway link between the Red Sea and the Gulf, with a further 115-kilometre connection to Jubail. A 570-kilometre line in the west will link Jeddah, Makkah, Medina and Yanbu.

The SRO plans to invite consortia to prequalify for the BOT contract on the two railway concessions in late 2004.