Saudi Railway Company (SAR) and smart mobility company Alstom have signed a five-year technical support and spare parts supply agreement (TSSSA) valued at approximately US$80 million. This agreement aims to improve SAR’s vital east-west freight corridor, which plays a crucial role in the country’s economic growth.
As part of the agreement, Alstom will provide SAR with comprehensive technical support, a consistent supply of spare parts, and tailored staff training programs. The focus will be on digitizing the maintenance process to boost efficiency. One key aspect of the initiative will be the use of Alstom’s digital solution, HealthHub, to monitor locomotives in real time.
HealthHub is a web-based platform that captures and analyzes data from trains, signaling systems, and infrastructure, including location, speed, temperature, and more. The system enables predictive maintenance by processing this data through Alstom’s algorithms, which then present the results in a user-friendly format. This technology helps identify potential issues with trains instantly, allowing for a deeper understanding of the causes of failures, which can help prevent them in the future.
With this predictive maintenance approach, Alstom’s solution is expected to reduce downtime and increase the availability of SAR’s diesel locomotives, ensuring long-term efficiency and reliability. These improvements will optimize the performance of the east-west freight corridor, which connects key ports in Dammam and Jubail with the Riyadh dry port, facilitating the smooth transportation of goods across the country.
This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and establish the country as a global logistics hub.
