Saudi Arabia, Qatar to launch high-speed rail link
Electric train to offer direct Riyadh–Doha connection in two hours
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signed an agreement to develop a high-speed electric passenger railway linking their capitals, marking a major step forward in regional connectivity. The 785km line will connect Riyadh’s upcoming King Salman International Airport with Doha’s Hamad International Airport, slashing travel time between the two cities to around two hours.
The new service will see trains travel at speeds exceeding 300km per hour and include stops in key Saudi cities such as Al-Hofuf and Dammam. Once operational, the rail link is expected to handle up to 10 million passengers annually and create approximately 30,000 jobs across both nations.
The agreement, formalised under the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council, was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the Emir’s visit to Riyadh.
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Set for completion within six years, the Saudi-Qatari high-speed line will further accelerate the GCC’s push toward regional transport integration. The project coincides with major rail developments across the Gulf, including the forthcoming debut of the UAE’s Etihad Rail passenger service in 2026. The network will initially connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with future extensions linking all seven emirates and eventually neighbouring GCC countries.
Covering 900 kilometres and serving 11 cities, Etihad Rail trains will operate at speeds of up to 200km per hour, cutting travel time between Dubai and Fujairah to just 50 minutes.
Together, these national projects form part of a unified GCC railway vision aimed at establishing seamless rail connectivity across Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Once complete, the network will provide a continuous land link spanning the Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf and Red Sea.
The initiative is also expected to significantly boost intra-GCC travel and tourism, complementing the upcoming GCC Grand Tours Visa – a unified visitor visa set to launch in 2026, enabling travellers to easily explore one or more Gulf states in a single trip.
For more information, visit sar.com.sa
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