The Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) ended its participation in InnoTrans 2026, the international trade fair for transport technology in Berlin, after signing contracts and financing agreements covering 10 new passenger trains, 33 freight locomotives, and 782 freight wagons, along with agreements on systems modernization and maintenance.
For passenger services, SAR signed a financing agreement with Swiss Export Risk Insurance (SERV) and a group of banks including KfW IPEX-Bank, Commerzbank, and UBS Switzerland to fund the purchase of 10 new passenger trains from the Swiss manufacturer Stadler, as the company expands its fleet to meet rapidly growing demand, reported SPA.
In the freight sector, SAR signed a contract with Progress Rail of the United States for 33 new freight locomotives and another with Greenbrier, also of the United States, to manufacture and supply 782 new freight wagons, to meet high demand and support related supply chains. It also signed a contract with France's Alstom Transport for technical support and maintenance services.
The contracts were patronised by Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and SAR Board of Directors Chairman Saleh Al-Jasser, covering passenger and freight fleets, systems and infrastructure modernization, and technical support and maintenance.
Further contracts, agreements, and memoranda of understanding were signed with companies including Japan's Hitachi Rail and Türkiye's AstraG, stated the report.
On the major rail deals, CEO Bashar Al Malik said the key highlight was the signing of two MoUs between Estenad and Shenyang and Knorr-Bremse, aimed at transferring technology and knowledge and localising the manufacture and maintenance of braking system components and spare parts in the Kingdom.
SAR's leadership also held meetings with executives of major global railway companies on the sidelines of the fair to discuss future co-operation and review the latest industry technologies.
"This participation supports plans to expand international partnerships, upgrade fleets, infrastructure, and systems, transfer knowledge, develop national talent, and raise local content, contributing to the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030," he added.-TradeArabia News Service