GCC needs rail network as soon as possible

The Gulf region needs better and cheaper transport offering more cargo and passenger connectivity, and much better use of the fuel that hundreds of trucks and cars are currently using.

The existing road and air networks cannot deliver everything that the Gulf’s fast growth demands, and the plans for a rail network to cover the Gulf Cooperation Council are important to see through to completion as soon as possible.

The first phase of the UAE’s Etihad Rail network is close to being operational, linking the desert oil fields in Shah and Habshan to Ruwais on the coast, and work is about to start on the next phase linking the ports in Jebel Ali, Khalifa and Musaffah to the Oman and Saudi borders. This is very encouraging and work is expected to be finished by 2018 at the latest when the GCC network is also due to be finished.

The first users of the network will be cargo but passenger capability should come soon after. It is unfortunate that delays in the 2,200 km GCC network may delay the completion of the entire project in the six nations until 2020 under present plans.

Nonetheless it is vital that the various transport authorities in the GCC states have agreed to use common technologies and the same specifications so that eventually there will be a genuine GCC rail network, which will be able to link up with railways further north, allowing passengers in Dubai to buy a ticket to London or Paris.