The bold GCC Railway mission which goals to attach Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait by 2030 has moved a step nearer to actuality, signalling excellent news for tourism.
Kuwait has signed a US$8 million contract with Turkish consultancy Proyapi for the design of its part of the two,177-km railway, with building already making good progress in Oman, Saudi and the UAE.
Whereas the community will hyperlink key ports and industrial websites for freight providers, it additionally opens up tourism alternatives for passenger providers together with cross-border journey.
As soon as full, and with home routes increasing, passengers will be capable of journey by prepare between tourism hotspots together with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Muscat, Doha, Riyadh and Jeddah, offering a land hyperlink from the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Gulf and Pink Sea.
Supporting that is the GCC Grand Excursions Visa, which permits travellers to go to one or all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) international locations and is predicted to launch in 2025.
Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has additionally put out a young for design consultancy providers for the US$7 billion Saudi Landbridge community. The mission consists of greater than 1,500 kilometres of recent observe, together with a 900-kilometre route between Riyadh and Jeddah.
Luxurious prepare heading to SaudiSaudi is main the way in which within the area with passenger providers working between the capital Riyadh and the border with Jordan on the 1,250 kilometre North Practice Passenger Line. The East Practice Passenger Line is a 733-kilometre route between Riyadh and Damman on the Gulf coast.
Passenger providers embody customary cabins, enterprise class cabins, and even personal sleeper cabins on in a single day routes.
The posh sector has been fast to recognise the chance, with Dream of the Desert set to change into the primary five-star service within the Center East.
The prepare is a collaboration between SAR and Italian hospitality firm Arsenale, and guarantees to mix luxurious journey with immersive cultural experiences.
Dream of the Desert will include 14 carriages with 34 suites, with interiors impressed by conventional Saudi structure and motifs, and is because of welcome first passengers in Q3 2026.
Etihad Rail connects UAE hotpotsThe seven emirates of the UAE shall be extra accessible for travellers because of Etihad Rail, which is growing the nation’s first railway community. This can permit guests higher entry to rising home tourism locations such because the UAE’s northernmost emirate Ras Al Khaimah and likewise present faster, extra handy hyperlinks between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
There shall be a high-speed passenger service (pictured prime) able to linking Dubai and Abu Dhabi in simply half-hour at speeds as much as 350 kilometres per hour.
Though a part of the deliberate 900km community is already open for freight, no date has been set for the launch of the passenger service.
There shall be six stations, with 4 in Abu Dhabi (at Reem Island, Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, and Zayed Worldwide Airport) and two in Dubai (near Al Maktoum Airport and Jaddaf) with the route passing by means of “key locations and vacationer points of interest”.
There may also be a slower 200km per hour service that may join different emirates together with Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah (RAK).
