Saudi Arabia, Qatar sign agreement for high-speed electric rail link

ISTANBUL

Saudi Arabia and Qatar and announced a landmark agreement on Monday to build a high-speed electric rail link connecting Riyadh and Doha.

The announcement came during a meeting of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council in Riyadh attended by Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In a joint statement published by the official Saudi news agency SPA, both sides praised the strength of their economic ties and noted a sharp rise in bilateral trade, which reached $930.3 million in 2024, marking a 634% growth compared to 2021 (excluding re-exported goods).

The two countries stressed the importance of expanding and diversifying trade flows, removing obstacles to commercial movement, and capitalizing on priority-sector opportunities under Saudi Vision 2030 and Qatar National Vision 2030.

According to SPA, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defense cooperation to support regional and international stability.

The central announcement of the visit was the signing of the high-speed electric rail link agreement, connecting Riyadh and Doha via Dammam and Al-Hofuf.

The two sides described the project as a major strategic initiative, aligned with national visions of 2030 and intended to facilitate tourism, trade, and mobility between the two peoples.

They also welcomed several other agreements and memoranda of understanding signed during the visit in rail transport, investment facilitation, food security, media cooperation and the non-profit sector.

After the meeting, the Qatari emir left Saudi Arabia, concluding a few hours’ visit to the kingdom.