Saudi Arabia and Qatar are moving ahead with an ambitious that will slash travel time between their capitals to about two hours, according to a statement carried by official Saudi media.
The project, billed as a major step toward deeper regional cooperation and sustainable development, will create a new 785-kilometer corridor linking Riyadh and Doha and extending through key Saudi cities including Al-Hofuf and Dammam.
Along the line, trains would also connect Hamad International Airport with the planned King Salman International Airport, forming what officials describe “a new backbone for fast, low-carbon mobility across the Gulf“.
Designed to exceed speeds of 300 kilometers per hour, the service will offer a competitive alternative to air travel; flights between Riyadh and Doha take roughly 90 minutes.
Once operational, the rail line is expected to handle more than 10 million passengers annually, bolstering business and leisure travel and giving riders easy access to major attractions in both countries. Officials say the project will generate more than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute an estimated USD31 billion riyals to the combined GDP of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The undertaking will be built over six years to international safety and quality standards, using advanced rail and smart-engineering technologies aimed at cutting emissions and supporting the region’s transition toward cleaner transport.
The agreement was signed in Riyadh by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the Qatari leader’s recent visit—another sign of the rapid warming of relations among Gulf states in recent years.
