Kuwait approves route for high-speed rail link to Saudi Arabia
Rail line forms part of 500-km Saudi-Kuwait railway project
Kuwait’s Municipal Council has approved the route corridor for the Kuwaiti section of a planned high-speed railway linking the country with Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, in a project aimed at strengthening regional transport connectivity.
The Kuwaiti section of the railway will extend about 85 km from the country’s southwestern border with Saudi Arabia to the Shadadiya area near Kuwait’s new university campus, local media reported.
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The rail line forms part of a broader 500-km Saudi-Kuwait railway project designed to connect Kuwait City and Riyadh through high-speed passenger services.
At the request of the Ministry of Public Works, the council designated the right-of-way required for the railway inside Kuwait, paving the way for implementation works expected to begin later this year. According to earlier feasibility studies, the railway is expected to become operational by 2030.
Trains travelling at speeds of up to 300 km/h are expected to cover the journey between Riyadh and Kuwait in less than two hours, with three daily trips planned.
The project also forms part of the wider 2,200-km Gulf railway network linking the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
GCC officials have previously said more than half of the estimated $15 billion regional rail project has been completed, with the network expected to become operational by 2030.
Once completed, the railway will connect Kuwait in the north to Oman in the south, allowing passenger and cargo trains to move between GCC states.
