KUWAIT — The Gulf railway project that links Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries will be completed and operating by 2018, the Kuwait Times reported Wednesday, citing the GCC Secretariat General. The project with a total cost of more than $15.4 billion will have a total length of 2,117 km and links Kuwait City and passes through GCC countries all the way to Muscat. It also includes the link between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia by a bridge. It said the passenger trains' speed will be 220 km/hr, while cargo trains will be between 80-120 220 km/hr, with the use of diesel to generate power. Each of the GCC countries will be responsible for building and costs of establishing the rail link within its borders. The rail network plan comes as part of a larger drive to increase infrastructure projects across the GCC which were forecast to exceed $86 billion in 2014, an increase of 77.8 percent over 2013. The collective GCC rail sector is expected to spend $200 billion as the six member countries – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar aim to complete the integrated GCC-wide network by 2018. Rail networks create a more sustainable society that is not dependent on one mode of transport for passengers and goods. Also the environmental advantages of using railways have been documented extensively, and the rail projects will create a range of employment opportunities including high-tech engineering positions. Globe Express Services (GES) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etihad Rail late last year, the developer and operator of the UAE's national railway network. Once completed, Etihad Rail network will extend across the UAE, connecting the Emirates to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman. It will be part of the larger GCC rail network, which will connect the country with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Ghuwaifat from the west and with the Sultanate of Oman through Al Ain from the east. — SG
