December 02, 2008

Gulf launches rail feasibility study

It is reported that the GCC railway project has launched a feasibility study into the construction of the international rail network. A consortium of three rails and engineering consultancies French group Systra, Canarail of Canada and Lebanese consultant Khatib & Alami will carry out the study which is expected to take between 12 and 18 months.

The three were appointed to the project earlier this summer and will analyze potential routes financing options and a cost sharing formula between the nations involved. The study will concentrate on a network conceived in 2004 for the entire GCC and Mashreq region by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

The full network entails 16 lines. The key route will run from Iraq down the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, taking in Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman. Connecting branches could be added to Qatar and Bahrain. A further line will run from northern Syria down the Red Sea coast to Yemen. The approximate length of the full network is 19,000 kilometers 60% of which does not currently exist.

A consultant close to the project said “The main route will take in the GCC with possible routes to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. The study will also look at different financing models whether to implement a traditional build, operate, transfer structure a concession or a hybrid of the two. And a formula will have to be found for sharing the cost between the member states.”