Doha- The Gulf Cooperation Council summit – which concluded yesterday, Tuesday, in Doha – constituted a strong impetus for many joint projects, especially the Gulf Train Project, which will form a new development corridor between the six countries.
The Gulf Railway is an integrated regional project that meets the transportation needs of the GCC countries. The network will connect all Gulf countries and will be an additional option for travelers and transporting goods in addition to air and sea transportation.
The total length of the route is estimated at about 2,117 kilometers, linking Kuwait City through all the GCC countries and reaching the Omani capital, Muscat.
The speed of passenger trains reaches approximately 220 kilometers per hour, and the speed of freight trains reaches approximately 120 kilometers per hour, and its total cost is estimated at about 15.4 billion dollars.
International reports estimate that the Gulf railway will improve regional connectivity by reducing transportation times and costs between major Gulf cities and ports, improving trade flows and attracting investment.
After years of discussions and meetings, the Gulf Ministers of Transport and Communications agreed to implement and operate the joint railway project by December 2030.
During their meeting in Muscat last November, the ministers approved the budget of the Gulf Railway Authority for the year 2024, the Gulf administrative regulations, the financial and accounting regulations, and the procurement and storage regulations of the Gulf Railway Authority.
#Qena_Infographic |#Gulf_Summit_44“Gulf Train” is the title of a new phase of economic integration and the promotion of trade between countries #Cooperation Council #Qena #Qatar#Our_Gulf_Shared_Future pic.twitter.com/D0jv6gP32Y
– Qatar News Agency (@QatarNewsAgency) December 4, 2023
Doha summit
Economist Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Hammadi said – in his interview with Al Jazeera Net – that the Gulf Train will achieve an unprecedented economic renaissance in the region and the region, noting that this train will contribute greatly to achieving the common Gulf market and accelerating the achievement of economic unity among the countries of the Cooperation Council.
Al Hammadi added that the train will support trade exchange and enhance bilateral trade operations between the GCC countries in a way that is closer to what is the case today in the European Union, where people move between the countries of the Union easily and quickly.
The final statement of the Gulf Summit in its 44th session – which was held yesterday, Tuesday in Doha – spoke of the need to redouble efforts to complete the requirements of the customs union, finish achieving the common Gulf market, in accordance with its previous decisions, and accelerate the achievement of economic unity among the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The economic expert pointed out that the Gulf Train will help reduce prices in the region, as the project to connect to the train network will save costs in transporting goods, foodstuffs, travel, and labor movement, which will give the Gulf countries gigantic economic power, in addition to improving regional communication between the GCC countries, and reducing transportation time. The cost between the main cities and ports in that region, in addition to enhancing trade flows and attracting potential investors.
He also said, “Inter-land transport in the Gulf countries represents 80% of commercial transport in the region, and therefore the project to connect to the train network will contribute to reducing the cost of land transport, improving transport efficiency, and enhancing road safety.”
Enters service in December 2030
“Gulf Train” is the title of a new phase of economic integration #Al-Raya_Newspaper– Qatari Al-Raya (@alraya_n) December 5, 2023
Big push
The British company Oxford Business Group said – in a statement last November – that the joint Gulf railway project is closer to implementation during the coming period, noting that the project may enhance trade movement across the GCC countries.
According to the report, “the project received a major boost when Gulf leaders agreed to establish a unified railway authority,” in addition to the fact that “the formation of the authority represents a potentially important development for the railway infrastructure in the Gulf after a discussion that lasted decades, and the project was approved in 2009.”
He estimated that “railway development will significantly improve regional connectivity, by reducing transportation times and costs between major cities and ports in the GCC countries, improving trade flows across the bloc and attracting investment.”
The railway project, known as the “Gulf Train” for short,
Its commissioning date is set for December 2030.This is after the approval of the Gulf Railway Authority’s budget for the year 2024, which was established last year
Approving a number of its documents, and discussing the land transport strategy of the GCC countries
And the list… pic.twitter.com/cfPlFWpSR9– Hassan Al Sai (@Hassan_alsai) December 5, 2023
From the Gulf to Iraq and Turkey
Last May, Baghdad announced a railway project linking the Gulf to the Turkish border, through which Iraq aspires to become a primary line for transporting goods between the Middle East and Europe.
The project – whose cost was set by the Iraqi government at approximately $17 billion and with a length of 1,200 kilometers inside Iraq – is still in its early stages, according to Agence France-Presse.
Baghdad aspires to implement this project, which is called the “Development Road,” in cooperation with countries in the region, namely Qatar, the Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani said last month, “We see this sustainable project as a pillar of the sustainable, non-oil economy and a link that serves Iraq’s neighbors and the region and a contribution to bringing economic integration efforts,” noting that “it is hoped that the project will be completed and completed within 3-5 years.”
Gulf train idea
The idea of establishing this project dates back to 2003, when the leaders of the Gulf states commissioned the Committee of Ministers of Transport and Communications to prepare an economic feasibility study for the joint railway project called “Gulf Train”.
The results of the study – which were announced at the Gulf Summit in 2009 – indicated that the project was economically feasible, and the leaders of the Cooperation Council decided at that time to move the project to the stage of preparing detailed engineering designs.
In its first phase, the project will include linking the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the Sultanate of Oman, while the second phase will witness linking Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, and the train is supposed to reach Doha coming from the Saudi city of Dammam via the Salwa port.
