OREANDA-NEWS. DB International, a DB Group company, is expanding its engineering and consultancy activities in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to meet new challenges by opening a branch in Dammam. Taking this step will bring Deutsche Bahn's experts into close proximity with the important Saudi Arabian market, clients and projects, giving them the opportunity to build local expertise in railway planning, construction and operation. The company, which was founded in 1966 in Germany, since 2010 operates already a local office in the Western part of the country in Jeddah. There the engineers of DB International are involved, beside other assignments, in the challenging Haramain High Speed Rail project.

"This initiative has strategic significance in light of the continuing process of globalization and the rising prominence of the market in the Kingdom," says Niko Warbanoff, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors.

"DB International has the requisite global skills and reputation in project work to offer high-quality services here, too. We are confident that we can lend our support to Saudi Arabia with our expertise in all areas of rail transport and logistics" added Warbanoff.

Saudi Arabia is endeavoring to strengthen and stabilize its economic growth. The precondition for this is a rapid expansion in the non-oil sector and significant developments in the transport infrastructure. There are plans to build new railroad corridors and to improve existing routes for passenger trains, rail freight transport in parts of the Kingdom as well as rapid transit trains and Metro trains in major cities in Saudi Arabia, such as in Dammam, Jeddah and Mekka.