12 July 2017 Saudi Arabia's Public Transport Authority (PTA) has invited private sector companies to participate in the construction and operation of railway transport services. The initiative is in line with the national transformation plan of Saudi Vision 2030. Riyadh-Dammam Railway, Land Bridge Project that is set to connect the Red Sea with Arabian Gulf, and Northern Railway are among the set of projects that will see partnership of global companies, according to Minister of Transport Sulaiman Al-Hamdan. Public transport including roads, airports and seaports will be part of the privatization plan according to Al-Hamdan who called for public-private long term strategic alliances to provide cargo and passenger transport services between Riyadh, the northern frontier, and Dammam. The kingdom had announced targets to raise around $200 billion through privatisation programmes in a wide range of sectors including airports, oil, healthcare, and education. Click here for the complete list of major privatisation plans underway. © Express 2017
