UAE joins GCC states to sign integrated railway project agreement

The UAE has joined GCC states in solidifying an agreement that will link all states under an integrated railway network.

The signing took place at Bahrain's Riffa Al Zahir Palace, with the participation of Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the GCC Ministers of Transport and Communications.

The agreement supports the operation of a railway project linking all the Gulf states as a single, integrated, and interoperable regional network that will facilitate transport movement across the Gulf countries.

The Secretary General affirmed in a statement on October 2024 that the project would begin operations in 2030. 

"The General Agreement for the GCC Railway Project represents a significant step in bolstering Gulf integration in the transport sector and regulating the railway transport system within the GCC states," said Albudaiwi during the ceremony. 

The Secretary General further praised the efforts of the railway authorities in the GCC countries for carrying out this strategic project. 

He previously shared that the project aims to transport six million passengers at the start of operations, with that number expected to rise to eight million by 2045.

Albudaiwi added that the anticipated volume of goods to be transported upon the project's launch is 201 million tonnes of commercial goods, increasing to 271 million tonnes by 2045.