Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signed a historic settlement to construct a high-speed rail hyperlink connecting the capitals of Riyadh and Doha. The mission, introduced on the finish of the Qatar-Saudi Arabia Coordination Council assembly, represents the primary railway collaboration of its type between the 2 nations and a concrete step in the direction of strengthening bilateral relations after the 2021 reconciliation.
The settlement was signed in Riyadh by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani throughout an official go to through which the 2 leaders mentioned financial, commerce, and infrastructure tasks.
785 km, 300 km/h and a journey of simply two hours between the 2 capitals
The brand new high-speed line shall be 785 kilometers lengthy and can permit trains to journey at speeds of as much as 300 km/h, lowering the journey time between the 2 capitals to roughly two hours. The route will embody stops within the Saudi cities of Dammam and Al-Hofuf and can instantly join King Salman Worldwide Airport to Hamad Worldwide Airport in Doha.
The mission is scheduled to be accomplished in six years, and authorities estimate that the road would carry over 10 million passengers yearly.
Main financial influence and customary targets in Imaginative and prescient 2030
The railway cooperation is introduced by the 2 governments as a significant strategic initiative, completely aligned with each Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030 and Qatar Nationwide Imaginative and prescient 2030, which emphasize financial diversification and sustainable infrastructure.
In line with Qatari estimates, the mission may generate 115 billion Saudi riyals (roughly 27 billion euros) within the mixed GDP of the 2 nations and create 30,000 jobs.
Each side additionally emphasize the function of high-speed rail in growing tourism, facilitating mobility between the 2 societies, and accelerating commerce.
Official information present that bilateral relations have grown spectacularly — commerce between the 2 nations reached $930 million in 2024, up 634% from 2021, excluding re-exports.
A logo of reconciliation after the 2017 diplomatic disaster
The mission additionally has sturdy diplomatic implications.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt utterly severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting teams thought of hostile and of cozying as much as Iran — accusations that Doha categorically rejected. Relations have been solely normalized in 2021, with the AlUla summit.
The brand new infrastructure mission is seen as a transparent signal of the strategic rapprochement between the 2 Gulf states and paves the way in which for brand new joint investments in transport, vitality, and logistics.
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