The Royal Commission for Riyadh City, in collaboration with Qiddiya Investment Company and the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP, has invited companies to submit expressions of interest in the Qiddiya high-speed rail project by 12 October.

Also known as Q-Express, the project involves developing a high-speed rail line connecting King Salman International airport and King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) with Qiddiya City.

The direct link between King Salman International airport and Qiddiya City will travel at speeds of up to 250 kilometres an hour, reaching Qiddiya in 30 minutes.

The project was previously planned to be developed under a conventional model, but it will now progress under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The line is expected to be developed in two phases. The first phase will connect Qiddiya with KAFD and King Khalid International airport.

The second phase will start from a development known as the North Pole – which is understood to include the Public Investment Fund’s proposed 2-kilometre-tall tower – and travel to the New Murabba development, King Salman Park, central Riyadh and Industrial City in the south of Riyadh.

In November 2023, MEED reported that French consultant Egis had been appointed as the technical adviser for the project.

UK-based consultancy Ernst & Young is acting as the transaction adviser on the project. Latham & Watkins is the legal adviser.

Qiddiya is one of Saudi Arabia’s five official gigaprojects and covers a total area of 376 square kilometres (sq km), with 223 sq km of developed land.