Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has succeeded in the test run of the first hydrogen train in the Middle East region, according to Dr. Bashar Al-Malik, CEO of Saudi Railway Company. "This project is an outcome of the Kingdom's keenness on adopting technologies that are suitable for the environment and we are working to address the gaps after identifying them while adopting such technologies," he said while addressing a dialogue session at the first edition of the Global Logistics Forum 2024 in Riyadh on Monday.

It is noteworthy that Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman had announced during his speech at the opening of the Climate Week last year that the Kingdom would have the first hydrogen-powered train in the Middle East.

Al-Malik said that work is underway to expand the railway network to reach new destinations and economic zones to support all sectors across the Kingdom. "Saudi Arabia is continuing to follow up on the hydrogen technology to ensure its readiness for adoption in the commercial sector," he said while emphasizing that Saudi Arabia is capable of exploiting such technologies when they are feasible.

For his part, Frank Hagemeier, CEO of Siemens Mobility for Saudi Arabia, said that digitization has been the driver of railways recently and Saudi Arabia is working on digital applications to obtain faster procedures and maintenance and lower costs, which is beneficial to operators in the Kingdom, whether from the public or private sectors.

Secretary General of the European Rail Freight Association Conor Fegan stated that rail freight is no different from other shipping methods and requires working within regional and international frameworks.

In another dialogue session, Agility Vice Chairman Tarek Sultan highlighted the pivotal role of flexibility in the logistics sector. He stressed the importance of the industry’s ability to adapt to accelerating requirements and effectively exploit innovation to ensure leadership in a global market that is witnessing rapid and sustainable transformations.

The first edition of the Global Logistics Forum witnessed the gathering of an elite group of leaders, experts and innovators to explore pioneering solutions that will radically transform the global logistics sector.

The forum was held in the presence of a number of ministers, senior officials, leaders of international organizations, industrial federations, experts, academics and analysts, with the participation of 130 speakers and 80 exhibitors from 30 countries.