GCC transport ministers yesterday approved the $11bn railway project that will link the six Gulf states. Results of a feasibility study for the 1,500-km railway network will be submitted to the Gulf leaders’ summit due to be held in Muscat in December, the Minister of Business and Trade, HE Sheikh Fahad bin Jassim al-Thani told reporters on the sidelines of a GCC ministers meeting in Doha. “The study has been approved in principle and will be submitted to the upcoming GCC summit,” he said. The minister also said there were plans to cut the airfares between the Gulf states. “The Civil Aviation authorities of the GCC are scheduled to discuss this proposal soon,” he said. Mohamed Obeid al-Mazroui, the GCC assistant secretary general for economic affairs, said some countries have “expressed reservations about the rail study which would be finalised by the end of this month.” “The rail project was the most important topic which was approved during the meeting. Among the other things discussed are the reduction of the airfares between the Gulf states as well as increasing the frequency of flights among them,” al-Mazroui said. Al-Mazroui also indicated that Yemen will be included in the planned railway network. “There is no doubt that the railway would enhance the links between the peoples of Gulf States. When Kuwait (north of the Gulf) and Oman (south) would be connected by the railway, it would be easy to extend it to Yemen, or to northern countries including Iraq, Syria and even to Europe later on,” he said. The meeting also discussed ways to remove the obstacles facing the movement of trucks among GCC states. “The ministers have asked for the streamlining the movement of heavy vehicles and granting drivers long term visas,” he added. GT

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