1900+ km Long, $15.5 Billion Gulf Rail Project to Link 6 Gulf Nations

A start date of late 2014 was announced on Tuesday for the construction of the Gulf Railway Network Project.  The rail line will connect the six gulf nations of Oman, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Detailed Engineering and Design will be completed by the end of the year.  Each of the six nations will begin constructing the rail line in their own country and linking the rail line across international borders will be finished near the end of the project.  An advisor to the project made these announcements at the MEED Mena Rail & Metro Summit Conference held in Abhu Dhabi.

The final railway, expected to be over 1900 km long, is expected to be fully operational by 2018.  The project was originally proposed back in 2008, but it has had to overcome obstacles associated with multinational infrastructure projects.  The project advisor speaking at the conference also said that the contract for a bridge connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain will be awarded next month.  Please click on the following links for more information on the project as well as a map of the current plan for the rail line.

Sources: Google Maps, Arab News