Manama (AFP) - The transport ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries signed an agreement on Sunday in Manama to organize work on a railway project linking their countries that is expected to be operational at the end of 2030, the council announced, in a step aimed at enhancing integration between them in the transport sector.
Published on: 08/11/2026 - 14:35
The Gulf Cooperation Council, whose members are six countries: Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, stated that “Jassem Mohammed Al Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, participated in the signing ceremony of the general agreement for the GCC railway project on Sunday at the Riffa Al-Zahir Palace in the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
Al-Budaiwi stressed in statements reported by the statement that the project “represents an important step in strengthening Gulf integration in the transport sector, and organizing the railway transport system in the GCC countries, in a way that supports the operation of a railway project linking all the GCC countries, as a single integrated and interoperable regional network.”
Al-Budaiwi stated in his speech during the occasion that the total completion rate of the project has now reached 55.9 percent, noting that “the target date for full operation is December 2030.”
The council did not announce the cost of the project, but the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said that “the estimated cost of basic infrastructure ranges between 15.4 and 16 billion dollars.”
The official Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel reported that “the length of the network extends to 2,100 km” and that “the speed of passenger trains will reach 200 km per hour” and “the speed of goods trains ranges between 80 and 120 km per hour.”
The railway connection between all Gulf countries is the latest project in a series of giant projects aimed at enhancing integration in the region.
In December 2025, Saudi Arabia and Qatar agreed to implement a high-speed electric train project to transport passengers between them, extending over a distance of 785 km.
The UAE and Oman also agreed in 2022 to build a railway linking them at a cost of three billion dollars.
© 2026 AFP
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