MUSCAT — Oman and its five Gulf neighbours signed an agreement on Sunday to advance a regional railway network stretching from Kuwait to Oman, a step towards completing the legal and regulatory framework for the long-planned project.
Transport ministers from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries signed the agreement at Al Zahir Palace in Bahrain during their 30th ministerial meeting. His Excellency Saeed bin Hamoud Al Maawali, Oman’s Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology attend the meeting.
The proposed network, spanning about 2,100 kilometres, would connect Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, supporting the movement of passengers and goods across the region.
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Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said the agreement laid the foundations for closer regional connectivity, opening up opportunities for trade, investment and travel.
He described the project as “an investment in the future of the Gulf and its generations”.
The agreement advances a project first proposed more than a decade ago. Sheikh Abdulla said it represented an essential step towards completing the legal and regulatory work required for implementation.
For Oman, the regional initiative comes as it develops Hafeet Rail, a 238-kilometre cross-border railway connecting Sohar with Abu Dhabi through Al Buraimi and Al Ain. The project is expected to begin trial operations in 2027.
That connection would link Sohar’s port and industrial base with the UAE’s railway infrastructure, forming part of the developing Gulf rail network.
The UAE has already launched its national railway network, while Bahrain’s connection to the regional system depends on the proposed King Hamad Causeway linking it with Saudi Arabia.
The planned causeway would accommodate both road and railway traffic, giving Bahrain access to regional freight and passenger routes.
GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi said the agreement marked an important step towards transport integration, with the aim of connecting all six member states through a single railway network.
