Thales has signed a two-year contract with the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) to maintain the signalling, telecommunication and electromechanical systems of the North South Railways project (NSR). The contract includes maintenance activities, transfer of knowledge to SAR local teams and support to Saudi Railway Polytechnic.
The NSR project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the longest railway in the world equipped with state of the art technology signalling systems, the ETCS Level 2. NSR transports passengers from the capital city of Riyadh to Al Haditha (near the border of Jordan) and freight from Wa’ad Al Shamal (phosphate mine in the Northern border province) to Ras Al Khair (Arabian gulf). The project, currently in operation, involved the construction of 2,400 km of track, sidings, yards, depots, stations and administrative facilities of the two lines.
The maintenance activities will be performed by Thales through specialised engineers and technicians located across eight maintenance bases situated along the 2,400 km of railway line. The transfer of knowledge will be performed through a curriculum of training at Thales’ factories in the kingdom. This will allow SAR maintenance teams to gradually take over the maintenance activities for the duration of the two-year contract.
Coupled with this, Thales will support the Saudi Railway Polytechnic, established in Buraydah (Qassim Province capital) through a partnership between SAR and The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC). The Polytechnic will train 1,500 students aged 18-21 years over the course of five years, providing vocational qualifications in health & safety, mechanical, electrical & civil engineering, signalling & telecommunications, rolling stock maintenance and train driving. Thales has simulated the NSR systems in Saudi Railway Polytechnic laboratories which will be used for the training programmes.
“This project further illustrates Thales commitment to ensure the SAR maintenance are able to continue in their efforts long after our contract expires and contribute towards the kingdom’s success. This contract win further solidifies our footprint in the kingdom. Along with our partners we have established a solid industrial network to provide maintenance and services to our customers in the kingdom,” Jean-Yves Tolot, Country Director for Thales in Saudi Arabia, said.
Share on:
