The current station building was designed by Italian architect Lucio Barbera in 1978, and was opened to the public in 1981. The design was inspired by the architecture of mosques along the Mediterranean Sea. The building constitutes the main lobby and the east and west wings, which enclose the two railway platforms. The roof is made from prefabricated, pre-stressed beams and he exterior is clad in limestone which was sourced locally. The style and decoration of the building uses elements such as triangular openings to construct windows and arcades and parapets with rectangular steps, elements bearing a resemblance to Nejdi architecture but also common in other Arab and Islamic architecture. The station includes a main concourse, ticket counter, and the two platforms. The stations in Dammam, Hofuf and Riyadh were all designed by Barbera and share similar design.
Services
Dammam–Riyadh Lines
Historic Dammam–Riyadh Line
The first railway line built under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began construction between Dammam and Riyadh in 1947. The line was inaugurated on October 20, 1951 and was 569 km long. Initially owned and operated by Saudi Aramco, the ownership and operations were later entrusted to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance. On May 13, 1966, the Saudi Railways Organization came into existence after the issuance of a royal decree which declared it a public corporation with full legal status. The main railway station buildings with active passenger service opened in Riyadh, Dammam, and Hofuf in 1981.
The present railway line from Riyadh to Dammam via Buqayq and Hofuf measuring 449 km was completed in 1985. Along with the decrease in distance, this shortened the time taken for the journey between the two cities from 7 hours to 5 hours. SRO trains on this route travel at around 180 kmh. The line was used by approximately 1.48 million passengers during 2017 between stations in Dammam, Abqaiq, Hofuf, and Riyadh.
Dammam–Riyadh Line 2
This railway line is restricted to transport of freight and cargo. For the first 139 km of its length, it uses the same line as the passenger line, but where the passenger line bends westward toward Riyadh at Hofuf, the freight line continues straight toward Haradh and then bends northward toward Riyadh via Kharj.
