Saudi Arabia’s cabinet greenlit a S audi-Kuwait rail link project on Tuesday, Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reports. The Saudi Transport and Logistics Services Ministry had been tasked to negotiate with Kuwait for a draft agreement for the project, Arab Times reports.

About the project: The railway, which will be used by freight and passenger trains, is a single track line spanning 111km from the Nuwaiseeb Port on Saudi Arabia’s northern border with Kuwait to Al Shadadiyah in Kuwait.

Background: Saudi Arabia’s state-owned national railway firm Saudi Railway Company and the Saudi Transport General Authority in May tapped French transport and mobility engineering company Systra to complete the feasibility study for the project. The study will also cover the passenger terminal, cargo yard, and border facility at Saudi Arabia, and will see Systra provide estimates for the costs of construction, operations, and maintenance.

REMEMBER- GCC countries are working on a 2.1k km railway linking the six member states together. The proposed project is expected to cost over USD 15 bn, according to Al Weeam. Although the project was initially ratified in 2009, progress had been delayed for several years, with feasibility and traffic studies just recently being completed. The GCC Railway Authority is currently coordinating with each country to ensure that they follow uniform standards and guidelines in building the railway.

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