Alstom has signed a new five-year contract with Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) to support the reliability and day-to-day performance of its North Freight fleet operating along the Kingdom’s North–South corridor.
Signed at InnoTrans 2026 and valued at 22 million EUR, the contract will see Alstom provide FlexCare Perform maintenance services to support critical onboard systems installed on SAR’s locomotive fleet – those which monitor train performance, manage speed, and enable communication with signalling infrastructure.
This is expected to help maintain reliable freight operations across the North-South corridor, and will include system upgrades, maintenance documentation, digital tools, and targeted workforce training in a bid to improve maintenance approaches, combine real-time monitoring with enhanced spare parts availability to improve fleet readiness, and reduce overall response times.
Together, these measures are intended to support more efficient day-to-day maintenance, strengthen operational performance and support the long-term reliability of SAR’s freight services.
Mohamed Khalil, Managing Director at Alstom Middle East, said:Our partnership with SAR is built on a shared ambition to strengthen rail performance and support the Kingdom’s long-term transport objectives.
Through this collaboration, we are enhancing reliability, supporting local talent development, and creating long-term value for Saudi Arabia’s freight sector.
Beyond operations, the initiative will seek to contribute to the development of local capabilities, with training and knowledge transfer expected to support Saudi engineers, technicians and operators whilst enabling the progressive localisation of technical expertise and reinforcing the Kingdom’s rail ecosystem.
The North–South corridor acts as a key rail link for Saudi Arabia, and transports approximately 13.5 million tonnes of freight annually along the northern line. The corridor connects mining sites to processing facilities and export points, and plays a central role in supporting the Kingdom’s industrial and logistics activities.
