SAR orders ten additional Stadler trains for over CHF300m

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has ordered ten additional intercity trains from Stadler under an option in its 2024 contract. Stadler announced the order on 9 October 2026 and said the contract value exceeds CHF300 million.

The order doubles the fleet covered by the agreement to twenty trainsets. The existing maintenance agreement will also cover the additional vehicles; the announcement does not give a separate maintenance value or the date on which the option was exercised.

The trains are intended for the Riyadh–Hofuf–Abqaiq–Dammam corridor. Each will be approximately 175 metres long, accommodate around 320 passengers and use two independent power cars, with filtration and protection systems designed for Saudi operating conditions.

Manufacturing will take place mainly in Switzerland, with power-car bodies produced at Stadler’s Valencia plant in Spain. Commercial passenger service is expected to begin in the second half of 2029, and Stadler and SAR plan a public presentation at InnoTrans 2028.

The announcement confirms an order rather than an open tender. It does not identify a new supplier bidding window.

Sources: Stadler announcement, 9 October 2026; Stadler media release.