Saudi Arabia to study GCC rail link proposal
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324 Words
21 June 2005
09:46 GMT
Reuters News
English
(c) 2005 Reuters Limited

RIYADH, June 21 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is to carry out a feasibility study into the construction of a multi-billion dollar rail network linking the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a GCC official said on Tuesday.

"Saudi Arabia volunteered to carry out the comprehensive study," said Mohammad Mazrooei, assistant secretary-general for economic affairs at the GCC.

Mazrooei said the project would greatly help the flow of people and goods within the GCC, which is a political and economic alliance grouping Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

Gulf media said an initial study proposed the laying of two lines, the first being 1,970 km (1,224 miles) long, stretching from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and through a bridge to Qatar, and from there to the UAE and Oman.

The second line would be 1,984 km, running from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and ending in Oman. Connecting points will be in Bahrain and Qatar.

The cost was estimated at up to $6 billion.

Mazrooei said Saudi Arabia aimed to complete the study -- which will include bidding proposals -- within six months.

Saudi Arabia is planning to build more than 1,000 km of new track, including a 950 km line linking the Red Sea port city of Jeddah with the capital, Riyadh, and the Gulf port of Dammam.

It also wants to link the western cities of Medina and Mecca and connect northern phosphate and bauxite mines with Jubail on the Gulf. Bankers estimate the costs at billions of dollars.

The kingdom's Al-Eqtisadiah daily reported on Tuesday that plans were underway to build a 340-km rail link between Riyadh and the northern town of Buraida.

Bahrain-Doha high-speed rail link planned
Published on Sep 17th, 2010
Source: www.gulf-daily-news.com

A HIGH-SPEED railway link is being planned between Bahrain and Doha, in a bid to boost enrolment at educational institutions in the Qatari capital.

The one-way journey time between Doha’s Education City and Bahrain would be just 51 minutes, via the planned “Friendship Bridge” between the two countries.

The idea is to woo Bahraini students to enrol at the various prestigious foreign universities and educational institutions in Education City, according to The Peninsula daily paper.

It is part of a $42.9 billion railway project that Qatar is about to launch, which includes a metro network within Greater Doha, an inter-GCC rail link and a rail freight network.

Details of the plans were revealed on Wednesday to representatives of the international media who are covering the visit of the FIFA inspection team, which is examining Qatar’s bid to host the football World Cup in 2022.

Sultan Bakhit Al Enazi, Qatar Railway Project Manager said the rail link was expected to be ready for operation by 2017.

“It would take 51 minutes straight between Education City and Bahrain once the rail link is ready,” he said.

The trains on this route would be travelling at a speed of 350kmph, said Mr Al Enazi.

The wider integrated system includes the Doha Metro Network; an east coast rail link; a high-speed link between the new Doha International Airport, Doha City Centre and Bahrain via the planned Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge; a freight rail link based on the GCC rail link studies; and light rail systems within specific developments including Qatari Diar’s Lusail mega-project.

Work on the metro and other rail projects is slated to start by the middle of next year, whether or not Qatar wins the World Cup bid, said the paper.

The projects will be 90 per cent complete by 2021 if Qatar wins the bid. If not, the deadline for completion will be 2026.

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Railway to link Education City with Bahrain
Thursday, 16 September 2010 04:43
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/126425-railway-to-link-education-city-with-bahrain.html

DOHA: A high-speed rail link is being planned between Education City and Bahrain that would make a one-way journey possible in just 51 minutes.

The idea is to woo Bahraini students to enrol at the various prestigious foreign universities and educational institutions in Education City.

This is part of an ambitious QR133bn ($42.9bn) railway project Qatar is about to launch, which includes a metro network within Greater Doha, an inter-GCC rail link and a rail freight network.

Details of the plans were revealed yesterday to representatives of the international media who are covering the visit of the FIFA inspection team that is examining Qatar’s bid to host the football World Cup in 2022.

The Education City-Bahrain rail link is expected to be ready for operation by 2017, said Sultan Bakhit Al Enazi, Qatar Railway Project Manager, in remarks to media persons during a briefing.

“It would take 51 minutes straight between Education City and Bahrain once the rail link is ready,” he said, adding that trains on this route would be travelling at a speed of 350 kilometres an hour.

The Greater Doha Metro network will link Education City with various places in and around Doha so people other than students who want to travel to Bahrain and back can also avail of the high-speed train service.

Work on the metro and other rail projects is slated to start by the middle of next year whether or not Qatar wins the WorldCup bid.

The projects will be 90 percent complete by 2021 if Qatar wins the bid. If not, the deadline for completion will be 2026.

Al Enazi said the GCC rail project had already taken off with the work having begun.

Similarly, as part of the metro rail network, Qatar will be linked to the Saudi border and trains on this route will be travelling at a speed of 220km per hour.

The metro rail network crisscrossing Greater Doha will boast 108 stations. There will be a Doha Main station, and all major areas such as Najma and Al Sadd will have a metro link.

Bahrain-Doha high-speed rail link planned
Published on Sep 17th, 2010
Source: www.gulf-daily-news.com

The one-way journey time between Doha’s Education City and Bahrain would be just 51 minutes, via the planned “Friendship Bridge” between the two countries.


Qatar Bahrain Friendship Bridge

http://multimedia.thenational.ae/images/bahraingraphic.jpg


Carries: Motor vehicle and Rail
Crosses: Persian Gulf
Locale: Bahrain and Qatar
Maintained by: Qatar and Bahrain Causeway Foundation
Total length: 40 km (25 mi)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar_Bahrain_Causeway

http://s3.hubimg.com/u/319478_f520.jpg

Any renders for the bridge? it could be amazing, although given it's 40km long, wouldn't it be cheaper to build a tunnel? I don't think waters between Doha and the island are very deep, are they? Anyway, that's an interesting project worth following

Proposed design:
Source: http://www.moveoneinc.com/blog/relocations/worlds-longest-sea-crossing-project-begins-in-2010/

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More infos > http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=346366&page=13