Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Rumaih Al-Rumaih, chairman of the Saudi Transport General Authority (TGA), has handed over the operating license for the trial run of hydrogen trains in the Kingdom to Bashar Al-Malik, CEO of the Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR).

The hydrogen-powered train is noted for zero-carbon emission and environment friendliness. This also represents a significant stride toward sustainable and innovative railway transportation.

The current tests focus on key issues including operational systems and making use of other countries’ hydrail experiences as well as developing technicalities with manufacturers to adapt the service to the environment in Saudi Arabia.

The authority said in a statement that the hydrogen train is one of the most prominent innovations in rail transport, as it generates energy necessary to operate trains without any carbon emissions. “It would thus contribute to achieving the goals of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services, which aims to reduce carbon emissions in transport activities by 25 percent by the year 2030,” the statement said.

The TGA stressed that this achievement represents an important step toward strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position as a leading logistics center, and accelerates the movement of commercial transport with high efficiency, which enhances the sustainability of railway transport.

It also helps to achieve the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to realize environmental balance and support sustainability efforts at the national level by a transport network that is friendly to humans and the environment, apart from providing safe and reliable services.