THE governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signed a formal agreement to construct a new high-speed line between Riyadh and Doha.
According to a statement published by Saudi media, “the high-speed electric railway” will connect Riyadh’s King Salman International Airport with Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Intermediate stations will be located in the Saudi cities of Al-Hofuf and Dammam. Trains will operate at over 300km/h, offering an end-to-end journey of around 2 hours.
The agreement was signed by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during the latter’s visit to Riyadh on December 8. The agreement is considered a further step in the improving diplomatic relations between the two countries after Saudi Arabia and its allies cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in 2017.
In a joint statement, Saudi Arabia and Qatar confirm that they expect to complete the project within six years. The project is expected to create 30,000 direct and indirect jobs across both countries. The new line is projected to carry up to 10 million passengers per year when it becomes operational.
This would be Saudi Arabia’s second high-speed line after the Jeddah - Mecca - Medina high-speed railway, which opened in 2018, and the first cross-border high-speed line in the region. Qatar approved a plan to construct a line from Doha to Abu Semra on the border with Saudi Arabia, the country’s first mainline railway and its section of the Gulf Railway, in October. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently developing a high-speed line between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
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