Saudi Cabinet approves high-speed electric rail link agreement with Qatar

ISTANBUL

Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet approved an agreement Tuesday for a high-speed electric rail link between the Kingdom and Qatar.

The decision came during a Cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman bin Abdulaziz in the capital Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The Cabinet approved the agreement between the Saudi and Qatari governments.

In late December, Saudi Arabia and Qatar signed an agreement to implement a high-speed electric passenger rail project linking the two countries.

The agreement was signed during the eighth meeting of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council held in Riyadh and co-chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

According to the Qatar News Agency, the project aims to establish a 785-kilometer (487-mile) rail line connecting the capitals of Riyadh and Doha and passing through major stations, including in the cities of Al-Hofuf and Dammam, with links to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman International Airport and Qatar’s Hamad International Airport.

The project is expected to reduce travel time between the two capitals to around two hours, with trains operating at speeds exceeding 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour.

It is projected to serve more than 10 million passengers annually and create over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The agency added that the project is scheduled for completion within six years.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul