Jeddah-Jazan train link to spur growth

October 10, 2014

Jeddah, Oct 10: Businessmen and officials have welcomed the Saudi Railway Organization’s (SRO) plan to establish a 660-km coastal railway line between Jeddah and Jazan, saying it would boost the two regions’ economic, commercial and social development.

The SRO recently signed a contract with an engineering consultancy firm to conduct a feasibility study on the project, including its cost, number of passengers, and amount of cargo to be transported.

The firm has completed the first phase of its study, which has taken into consideration the railway line’s designs. The new line will be established parallel to the international coastal highway that serves many major roads and the Jazan Economic City.

Mohammed bin Khaled Al-Suwaiket, SRO's chief, said the plan is to expand the Kingdom’s railway network. “We have drafted a strategic plan for railway expansion spanning 9,900 km and 19 railway lines,” he said.

He said the dual line between Jeddah and southern Jazan would pass Shuaiba, Al-Laith, Madhleef, Qunfudah, Amq, Barak, Qahma, Shuqaiq and Sabya. It would be linked with the landbridge project that connects Riyadh with the Red Sea port city.

Ali bin Mohammed Al-Garni, chairman of Qunfudah Municipal Council, said Saudis have been looking forward to this strategic project for a long time. “It will not only boost economic and industrial development of cities linked by the railway but also cut down on road accidents."

Shaikh Mohammed Rafik, chairman of Gammon Group, which is developing an industrial city in Jazan, said the new railway would encourage more foreign companies to invest in the industrial city, which is expected to draw investment worth SR75 billion and create 100,000 jobs.

“The industrial city will spur Jazan’s economic growth and bring about a face-lift for the region,” said Rafik. “We are now in the process of signing agreements with prominent companies from Canada, China, India, South Africa and Malaysia,” he said.

According to a study, the number of passengers on this route will increase from 1.13 million to 1.95 million by 2025 while cargo flow will jump from 1.8 million to 3.19 million tons.

Emad Al-Subhi, chairman of Al-Laith Municipal Council, stressed the railway’s role in accelerating economic and commercial growth, and providing safe public transport services.

“The project reflects the government’s long-term vision,” said Abdul Rahman Halawani, a Saudi businessman. “We hope the governors of Makkah and Jazan make this dream a reality to accelerate growth,” he said.

Abdullah Hubaily, a member of the Tourism Development Committee, described the railway as the best transport mode for a vast country such as Saudi Arabia. “Infrastructure projects such as railways will attract foreign capital and promote tourism.”

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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