Talks are underway to connect Bahrain to the rest of the Gulf through an integrated rail network, with key officials from Bahrain and the GCC Railways Authority meeting to discuss the latest developments.
The Transportation Ministry’s land transportation assistant under-secretary Hussein Ali Yaqoub met with a delegation from the GCC Railways Authority led by Nasser Hamad Al Qahtani and Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Samaani.
They discussed the developments in the railway connection between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia via the King Hamad Causeway, through which Bahrain will be linked to the GCC Railway Network.
The meeting reviewed the status of the King Hamad Causeway project, developments in preparing the railway track on the Bahraini side and the latest updates on the King Hamad International Station in Ramli.
The meeting also discussed details of engineering designs and meeting points between the two kingdoms.
As the GDN has previously reported, the GCC Railway Network is set to connect with the 109-km-long fully-automated, driverless Bahrain Metro system.
Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Mohammed Al Kaabi revealed, during a Parliament session in May, that work to link Bahrain Metro with the King Hamad International Station in Al Ramli District was underway and will be approximately 8km long.
“This coincides with work on the King Hamad Causeway between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia that has four lanes for vehicles and two for trains connected through the GCC Railway Network,” he had said at the time.
An approved feasibility study showed that King Hamad Causeway will improve and raise the efficiency of transport operations between the two countries.
The milestone project consists of four lanes in each direction with a length of 25km, and a two-track railway with a length of 57km, including 7km within Bahrain.
This will connect with the massive 1,860km-long Gulf Railway Network, which will be overseen by the GCC Railways Authority, set up in 2022.
The authority is mandated with shaping the general policy for the GCC Railway Network and co-ordinating among the member states to follow up on the implementation and operation of the railway project.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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