Transport projects connecting the GCC have made stuttering progress over the years, with brief periods of intense project positioning typically followed by years of little progress. These projects are crucial for intra-GCC trade, and, once built, should provide a catalyst for further economic activity. Since the Al-Ula Accords were signed in January 2021, projects have started to move forwards again, with schemes including the GCC railway network, the GCC grid, and several other road and causeway links at various stages of planning and construction. GCC rail For the GCC railway network, GCC leaders approved the establishment of the GCC Rail Authority in January 2022. The entity is entrusted with overall policymaking and coordination among member states to ensure the smooth delivery and operation of the scheme. The railway will stretch over 2,177 kilometres (km), from Kuwait, through Dammam in Saudi Arabia, to Bahrain, with a causeway to be constructed between the two countries, and from Dammam to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and finally to Muscat via Sohar in Oman. There will be 684km of track in the UAE, 663km in Saudi Arabia, 306km in Oman, 283km in Qatar, 145km in Kuwait and 36km in Bahrain. Passenger trains will run at 220 kilometres an hour (km/h), while freight trains will travel at 80-120km/h. The project is expected to take a significant step forward this year with the award of the contract to prepare the operational plan study for the scheme. Speaking at the Global Rail event in Abu Dhabi on 8 October, “the evaluation is in the final stages and the contract award is imminent”. The General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council has set a deadline of 2030 for the project to be operational. Several causeways are planned that will provide transport links between countries in the GCC. After stalling after 2010, Qatar and Bahrain have agreed to restart plans to develop the $4bn Qatar-Bahrain Causeway project. The two countrie Road links Overland road links have also been built. In 2021, a 725km-long road running through the Empty Quarter from Saudi Arabia to Oman opened. The Saudi section of the highway is 564km long, and the Oman section runs for 161km. The highway provides a link between the two countries bypassing the UAE.  When it opened, the authorities added that the road would improve trade between Oman and Saudi Arabia and give Oman access to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Ports. Likewise, it gives Saudi Arabia access to Oman’s ports on the Arabian Sea. (ICE RIYADH)

Fonte notizia: Meed