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Al Assar said the project will facilitate and integrate transport links among all six GCC member states, leading to economic growth and creating job opportunities at local levels. Long-term benefits of the project would be introducing an environmentally friendly transport mode, supporting local industries, and developing cooperation among the states.
Catering for passenger and freight traffic, the first of the rail's two lines would be 1,970km long, starting in Kuwait through Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE down to Oman. The second line will be 1,984km, stretching between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE and Oman.
Adding Yemen into the project is now under consideration, but no clear indication of when a decision will be made has been given.
Opened appetite
Although details on the railway are still sketchy, it will cost $6bn to build, which will be equally shared by all six countries. But the GCC states appetite is open for establishing national railway systems.
According to Al Assar, this outlines their interest in providing a sustainable modern transport system that is environmentally friendly, connecting towns and urban developments, providing opportunities for more internal integration with airports and other water and land transports facilities, and above all giving way to future integration with the GCC Railway.
Kuwait has completed a National Railway Network study, featuring a 400km North-South Link to the airport, ports and Bubiya branches. Execution of this link is expected to start in 2008, and a future expansion of the project through a 117km East-West link is being studied.
Also, feasibility studies for national railway networks has been completed in the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar and talks of an expected implementation some time between 2008 and 2009 is in the air.
The Saudi Arabian North-South Railway Project (NSR) is already well underway and should be completed by 2010. It is being implemented by the Public Investment Fund of the Ministry of Finance, but will only handle freights of phosphate and bauxite from mines at Zubairah and Jalamid to processing plants. When completed, the rail will make up a single track of 1,800km long.
East-West project
Another important project taking place in Saudi Arabia is the East-West Railway Project (Landbridge), aiming to provide connections between Jeddah, Dammam, and Jubail.
Two tracks make up this rail, one of 556km that will be used only for freight transport and the other a 449km line to handle passengers. Upon completion it will be able to transport some 300 million passenger-km per year and one billion tonnes-km of cargo.
The project passes through four areas that are significant shipment and industrial locations. It heads from Jeddah, a major trans-shipment hub on the Red Sea, then passes through Dammam, from which shipments can find their way to Iran, Iraq and fellow GCC states.
The track then heads to Riyadh, which has a population of five million and is thus a consumption hub, and from Riyadh it ends up in Jubail, the largest industrial area in Saudi Arabia.
"Removing barriers to private sector participation" is a promising opportunity for an integrated transport model in the region, said Al Assar. This will be achieved mainly by creating the legal environment needed.
Other challenges and opportunities included "further cooperation and dialogue among constituents to better understand transport logistics, forging competition to help reduce prices and expand access to transport network, and facilitating networking among all the companies working on such projects," he added.
See also:
RTA adds new lines to Dubai Metro
Darine Wehbi, Editor - Arabic
