Travelling across a sea of sand dunes at 180mph on a high-speed train could be the perfect way to travel around the Middle East once this ambitious £197 billion railway is complete.
The Gulf Railway, also known as the GCC, is aiming to be completed by 2030 when developers hope it will link up six of the seven Gulf states in the Middle East.
The 1,352 miles should connect the oil-rich states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, but will not be running to the seventh Gulf country, Iraq.
Already Saudi Arabia has an extensive high-speed rail network, with the Haramain High Speed train running between the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Inaugurated in 2018 by the late King Salman, the railway reaches speeds of 180mph and runs for 280 miles via the Red Sea port of Jeddah.
But the multi-billion pound GCC will cover more than four times that distance when it finally joins the larger Saudi nation will its smaller Gulf emirate neighbours and the beautiful ancient country of Oman.
However, according to the site Economist Intelligence (EIU) problems have hampered the completion of the huge railway, which was first conceived in 2009.
In a report, EIU says “logistical difficulties in connecting the six members of the GCC by rail are pronounced. The region-wide railway network requires huge sums of capital, as the tracks span rugged and hostile terrain, necessitating instalment of safety measures, as well as signalling systems and several railway stations.”
Political tensions in Yemen, which borders Oman and borders, and is at war with, Saudi Arabia could spell further problems as the heavily armed Houthi militia may view big infrastructure projects as a potential target.
But the EIU also cites some positives linked the the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor which was agreed last year to further the idea of solid transport and trade links between the regions.
And in December last year Ed James, from Middle East business magazine MEED, said: “We should expect to see some significant contracts awarded on the railway to link all the GCC states over the next 24 to 26 months.
