So I came across this in my feed yesterday, and a search revealed this topic. Looks like planning is moving forward to establish cross-border Middle East railway amongst Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Qatar. Having been to the Middle East during Desert Storm, I can say "إنشالله بكرة", in English "Insha'llah Bukra", or God willing. It's also slang for "forget it". Hopefully, that's not the case.
GCC Info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council and
https://gcc-sg.org/en-us/Pages/default.aspx
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Intern ... t.amp.html
GCC Nations Unite For Mega Railway Project
Following delays, the long-awaited GCC Railway looks likely to be revitalised - a move that could transform trade and connectivity across the Gulf. The initiative was given a significant boost in December 2021 when leaders of the six GCC countries approved the establishment of the GCC Railways Authority, the body that will oversee the coordination of the project. The decision marks a potentially significant development for rail infrastructure in the region.
In 2009 after a decades-long debate, all member states approved the GCC Railway project. However, fiscal pressures delayed plans in recent years. These setbacks were associated with the oil price drop of 2014 and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic and diplomatic tensions, the latter of which resulted in an economic blockade of Qatar by some of its regional counterparts from June 2017 to January 2021.
The proposed plan aims to connect the GCC countries via a 2177-km railway. Starting in Kuwait City in the north, the rail line will pass through the coastal cities of Jubail and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, before heading through Bahrain's capital Manama and Doha, the capital of Qatar. The line would then cut back into Saudi Arabia before moving to the UAE, where it would pass through the major cities of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah, before reaching its terminal station in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
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