Groundwork for $1.8B Saudi railway project set

Saudi Arabia has granted a SR6.79 billion ($1.8 billion) infrastructure contract to a consortium, along with a unit of China Railway Construction Corp. for building a railway system to the holy sites in the kingdom. The deal, which will involve ground and civil engineering works, is the first of the series of projects to be given for the 450km high-speed rail connecting the Red Sea port city of Jeddah to Mecca and Medina, which are Islam''s two holiest cities. China Railway Construction subsidiary China Railway 18th Bureau Group and two Saudi companies, with Al Arrab Contracting Company, will collaborate for the winning consortium, contractors confirmed during the signing ceremony in Riyadh. The project seeks to loosen the congestion problem on the road linking the two cities and lower the duration period during road travel, the transport ministry said in a report on the railway contract.Men's Tops