Sultanate to work on GCC Rail as per plan

By Staff Reporter — MUSCAT: March 18 - Oman Rail in an official statement on Saturday said that it is ready to work on the GCC Railway project as per an agreed common deadline among the states. The statement denied an official Saudi report that cited reasons for delays and postponement of the GCC Railway project until 2021. The GCC Railway as proposed is expected to boost GCC economic development, sustain growth at national and regional levels, foster economic development, growth and integration, enhance regional trade facilitation and promote GCC supporting industries in the neighbouring economies.

The GCC Railway was proposed to connect all six member states with a total length of 2,177 km. Last year, the project’s completion date has been rescheduled for 2021. The planned GCC railway would begin in Kuwait City, pass through Dammam and Batha Port in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in the UAE, and then enter Oman through Sohar before terminating at Muscat. From Dammam, branches will link to Bahrain through the proposed King Hamad Causeway and to Qatar via Salwa port.