The ambitious $10-billion project to connect Gulf nations through a modern rail network, stretching over 2,000 km, is expected to become operational by 2018, with authorities working to ensure that construction starts on it by 2014.

Authorities across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) want the project to provide cost-effective means to transport goods and services in the region and plans are also afoot to ultimately link the railway network to Yemen via Muscat.

The project, which has total length of 2,117 km and entails a total cost of $10 billion, is being governed by a GCC railways authority and the presence of a strong public and private partnership.

Authorities across the GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are making efforts to ensure that the railway network project starts construction by 2014 and becomes operational by 2017-2018.

Experts at the ongoing GCC Transport and Railways Conference here said the establishment of a GCC railways authority will make coordination among member states possible as well as create a unit to manage the project.

Dr Ramiz Al Assar, Senior Adviser to GCC Secretariat General and senior transport specialist at the World Bank, said that within the first quarter of next year, a document which will serve as the project’s guideline will be finalised.

He said the private sector has a very important role to play in the joint railway grid though the World Bank’s role in the ambitious project is limited to consultations and technical matters.

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