The GCC railway network has taken another step forward with the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf – the authority entrusted with the implementation of the project – issuing a tender inviting companies to bid for a contract to prepare the operational plan study for the scheme.The tender was issued on 5 June and the deadline for bid submissions is 7 July.According to the official notice, bidding firms must have experience in developing operational plans for railway projects, rail transport and logistics services and their standards, as well as in collecting, analysing and modelling data and inputs, special studies experience in railway transportation and legislation, and laws and regulations experience related to railways.The GCC railway project has continued to make progress since the official announcement by the GCC secretariat in January 2021 that effectively restarted the project. A string of recent moves and statements have meant all six GCC states have either declared or signalled their plans for their sections of the rail network.In July last year, officials from Bahrain's Transportation & Telecommunications Ministry met with a delegation from the GCC Rail Authority led by Nasser Hamad Al-Qahtani and Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Samaani.The meeting between the two countries followed developments elsewhere in the GCC. In May last year, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud authorised the transport and logistics services minister, as his representative, to discuss a draft agreement with Kuwait regarding a rail link connecting the two countries.GCC leaders approved the establishment of the GCC Rail Authority in January 2022. The company was entrusted with overall policymaking and coordination among member states to ensure the smooth delivery and operation of the scheme.With high project activity levels, governments in spending mode and the agreements under the Al-Ula declaration, the latest efforts to restart the GCC railway project may make more progress than previous attempts. If the railway is finally completed, it could prove transformative for a region that feels connected to the world but divided between its constituent parts. (ICE KUWAIT)

Fonte notizia: Meed