Neom has awarded two contracts for the drill & blast construction of two separate tunnels with a length of 28km dedicated to high-speed and freight rail services as part of the170-km Line project in northwest Saudi Arabia. The Line will be part of the futuristic megacity of Neom, an ambitious project backed by the government with USD 500 billion in funding, which will be built on an area of 26,500 km2 in northwestern Saudi Arabia, between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. It is described as a belt of hyper-connected communities without cars and roads. As well as residential communities built along the rail and infrastructure corridor, the building work plans being considered include a series of connected high-rise mirrored towers.
The first contract has been awarded to the FCC/CSCEC/SAJCO Joint Venture, whose partners are the Spain’s FCC with the Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corporation and the local Shibh al-Jazira Contracting Company (Sajco).
The second contract has been awarded to the SHA Joint Venture, whose partners are the South Korean contractors Samsung C&T Corporation and Hyundai Engineering & Construction and the Greece’s Archirodon.
The rock excavated as part of the tunnelling project will be processed for subsequent reuse within the permanent concrete lining of the tunnels and other projects within Neom to ensure minimal impact to natural landscapes.
Beijing-based China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) was awarded a contract in 2021 for the adits and portals package serving the bored tunnels. Neom is also preparing to tender contracts for the cut and cover tunnel sections of The Line. Visit https://www.ice.it and https://www.neom.com. 24/22.
