Logistics in Gulf countries: Gulf states are pushing forward a shared rail network

Manama. The Gulf states continue to work on a common rail network along the coast of the Persian Gulf. Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad received representatives of the states that signed an agreement on the project in Manama, state agency BNO reported. According to local media, Bahrain's transport minister described the plans as an "investment in the future of the Gulf region and the next generations." The network is scheduled to be completed by 2030.

The rail connection will run from Kuwait in the north via Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to Oman, which is located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula. Passengers and goods will be transported to their destination by train over a distance of more than 2,100 kilometers. The costs were estimated in recent years at around 250 billion US dollars. To date, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have invested the most in their own rail networks.

Discussions about a shared network have been going on since the 1980s. The six Gulf states agreed on its expansion in 2009, but implementation progressed at different speeds. Because oil prices fell significantly in the 2010s, the Gulf monarchies, which are heavily dependent on oil exports, had to rethink large infrastructure projects. There was also a crisis starting in 2017, in which several countries led by Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on the small state of Qatar. The goal of putting the shared network into operation in 2018 was missed.

With the start of the Iran war last February and the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the project has taken on new urgency. The countries export oil and liquid gas, among other things, by sea, but also import goods and goods, including food. Because of the high economic losses during the war, there are still doubts as to whether the federal states can still raise the necessary funds for construction.