Dammam-Riyadh Line
Encyclopedia
The Dammam–Riyadh Line, also called Line 1, connects the cities of Dammam
, Abqaiq
, Hofuf
and Riyadh
(449.11 km) and is used by passenger trains. It is a very picturesque route, that takes you through the desert dunes, connecting the central region to the Persian Gulf
.
The total journey takes about 4.5 hours and during that time, TV and snacks are offered on board.
The current passenger stations at Dammam, Hufuf and Riyadh were designed by Lucio Barbera and designed and built between 1978 and 1980. They were opened for public service in 1981. The terminus stations in Dammam and Riyadh are extremely similar and consist of a rectangular hall of three naves separated by two lines of pillars along the ends of the tracks and two wings at the ends of the main hall along the outer tracks. The design is based on the layout of some mosques along the Mediterranean Sea, where the prayer hall is located at one side of a court with lesser wings along the sides of the court. The style and decoration of the buildings uses elements such as triangular openings to construct windows and arcades and parapet
s with rectangular steps. This somewhat reminds of Nejd architecture but is also common in other Arab architecture. The station building in Hufuf lays to the east of the through line along one side. The decoration is very similar to the other two stations though.
Dammam
Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the most oil-rich region in the world. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province and several government departments are located in the city. Dammam is the largest city in the Eastern Province and third largest in Saudi...
, Abqaiq
Abqaiq
Abqaiq, or in Arabic Bqaiq , is a Saudi Aramco camp in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, located in the desert 60 km southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. The camp was built in the 1940s by ARAMCO...
, Hofuf
Hofuf
Al-Hofuf is the major urban center in the Al-Ahsa Oasis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.- Overview :...
and Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
(449.11 km) and is used by passenger trains. It is a very picturesque route, that takes you through the desert dunes, connecting the central region to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
.
The total journey takes about 4.5 hours and during that time, TV and snacks are offered on board.
Stations
There are four stations along the route:- Dammam Railway Station (location: 0.000), terminus.
- Abqaiq Railway Station (location: 74.000)
- Hofuf Railway Station (location: 139.257)
- Riyadh Railway Station (location: 449.086), terminus.
The current passenger stations at Dammam, Hufuf and Riyadh were designed by Lucio Barbera and designed and built between 1978 and 1980. They were opened for public service in 1981. The terminus stations in Dammam and Riyadh are extremely similar and consist of a rectangular hall of three naves separated by two lines of pillars along the ends of the tracks and two wings at the ends of the main hall along the outer tracks. The design is based on the layout of some mosques along the Mediterranean Sea, where the prayer hall is located at one side of a court with lesser wings along the sides of the court. The style and decoration of the buildings uses elements such as triangular openings to construct windows and arcades and parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
s with rectangular steps. This somewhat reminds of Nejd architecture but is also common in other Arab architecture. The station building in Hufuf lays to the east of the through line along one side. The decoration is very similar to the other two stations though.