AL KIFAH Construction Equipment (KiCE) Factory, the sole manufacturer of batching plants in Saudi Arabia, is now fitted with Team Viewer, a software solution that provides remote access and support over the Internet.

THE Haramain Railway, which will link the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah with Jeddah, will cost about SR42 billion ($11 billion), according to a report by the Saudi Railway Organisation (SRO).

ABB, a power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $85 million from Alfanar Construction Company to supply 380 kV indoor gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) that are a key component of new substations that will power the 444-km-long High-speed Haramain Railway currently under construction in Saudi Arabia.

SAUDI Arabia plans to link its industrial city of Jubail and Dammam port to a rail network that connects to mining centres, the head of the company that is overseeing the railway said. “We are preparing the design and tendering documents and will soon tender the project.

MATTEX Geosynthetics, a new manufacturer of a full range of top-quality woven and non-woven geotextiles, is building a state-of-the-art, vertically-integrated non-woven geotextile facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, complementing its existing woven geotextile range.

BAHRAIN’S Ministry of Works said it has adopted an initiative aimed at supporting ‘Green Buildings Specifications’ in line with the kingdom’s Economic Vision 2030.

ATKINS has entered into a partnership with Saudi Arabian company Mohamed Harasani Architects and will now trade in the kingdom as WS Atkins & Partners Overseas Engineering Consultants. The new company is licensed to deliver its entire range of design services across Saudi Arabia, including construction supervision, according to the Arab News.

QATAR plans to offer the first tender for its railway and metro system in the next three months, an executive of the Gulf state’s railways company said. Preliminary designs had already been prepared, Abdullah Al Subaie, managing director of the Qatar Railways Company, told Qatar’s state news agency.

Honeywell completes road shows HONEYWELL has concluded its series of annual country road shows across the key Middle East countries of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.

A CONSORTIUM headed by Japan’s Marubeni Corporation is understood to have been selected as the developer for Oman’s biggest greenfield power project. The 2000 MW project will be located in Sur, on a site between the Oman-India Fertiliser scheme (Omifco) and the Oman LNG complex within Sur Industrial Estate, according to the Oman Observer.

THE Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has given the go-ahead for the construction of a new 100,000-seat mega stadium near Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.

DAMMAM-BASED Sigma Paints has launched its new distribution shops concept, with the opening last month of the first two facilities featuring the new look.  The three-year programme entails upgrading its existing shops and setting up additional outlets, as part of its channel marketing strategy.

HAYA Water has completed installation of 1,000 km of pipes in the Seeb area as part of the company’s state-of-the-art water reuse project in Muscat, Oman.

EHAF consulting engineers is to decide the winning tender for the $1-billion Grand Egyptian Museum this month. The museum is designed to provide an Egyptology centre of excellence for the next 100 years and will be sited near the pyramids of Giza.

SAUDI Arabia plans to raise the capacity of its second largest port in Dammam and may spend more than $613 million on port expansions to rival other regional ports, the transport minister said. “All ports are currently being expanded. We are now investing SR2.

THE Riyadh real estate market is expected to experience strong demand on the back of improving economic indicators like oil prices and real GDP growth now projected at 5.7 per cent, says a Jones Lang LaSalle report.

DRAKE & Scull International (DSI) has secured a Dh100-million ($27 million) mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) contract for a private residential facility in Doha, Qatar, through its newly-acquired MEP specialist company Drake & Scull International Qatar (DSQ).

DUBAI construction firm Al Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG), an affiliate of Australia’s Leighton Holdings, is eyeing two contract wins in Saudi Arabia worth up to SR10 billion each ($2.67 billion) by the year end, its top executive said.