DREAM OF THE DESERT BY ARSENALE GROUP & SAUDI ARABIA RAILWAYS
Arsenale Group and Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) recently announced a partnership to build the first luxury train that will cross the Kingdom at the end of 2025. Dubbed Dream of the Desert, the train will be made entirely in Italy with a design inspired by Saudi style and tradition. From the capital Riyadh to Al Qurayyat, on the northern border with Jordan, passengers will get to travel through scenic deserts and UNESCO World Heritage archeological sites.
A LUXURY TRAIN CROSSING 1,239 KILOMETERS OF SCENIC DESTINATIONS
The Dream of the Desert train luxury train by Arsenale Group and Saudi Arabia Railways will feature 40 cabins and, according to Saudi Gazette, offer a capacity for 80 passengers. Depending on their final destination, passengers will get to spend either 1 or 2 nights onboard the train, all while enjoying a fine dining experience and lounge bar, alongside other dedicated services. The route will stretch 1,239 kilometers, starting from Riyadh and passing through Al Qassim, Hail, the King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve in Al Jouf, before landing in Al Qurayyat. Production is expected to complete in the summer of 2025 and the first train schedule will hopefully launch by the end of 2025.
‘Saudi Arabia will be the first country to have a luxury hospitality service by rail, in response to the new trend of slow tourism and experiential travel. This innovative and revolutionary project will ensure the expansion of the Saudi tourism market,’ shares Arsenale Group following the signing of an agreement between its CEO, Paolo Barletta and Bashar AlMalik, CEO of SAR, in the presence of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR), Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser.
project info:
name: Dream of the Desert
type: luxury train cruise
location: Saudi Arabia
collaborators: Arsenale Group and Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) | @sarnortheast
expected operation: end of 2025