GCC transport officials still expect the planned regional railway network to initially begin operations between 2021 and 2023 despite the slow development in domestic railway projects among its member-states.

“It is a moving target for sure but we think [2021] is still possible,” Abdullah Salem al-Katheeri, director general of the UAE's Federal Transport Authority - Land & Marine, told MEED.

Al-Katheeri cites rail developments in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia  signifying the countries remain committed to the project.

MEED understands that the regional railway line’s technical working group continues to meet regularly to discuss standards and processes, as well as the overall scope of work.

However, a local report on 28 February cited Mariam Jumaan, under-secretary for land transportation at Bahrain’s Transport and Telecommunications Ministry, saying that the GCC member states are now looking at 2023 as the target date for the regional railway to begin operations.

The transport ministries of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, along with the King Fahd Causeway Authority, expect to issue the tender for the transaction advisory contract for King Hamad Causeway project in the first half of 2018. In addition to a road linking the two countries, the 25-kilometre causeway has a railway component that would allow the passage of cargo between the two countries and among the rest of the GCC states once the rail network in other countries are built.

It is understood that Saudi Arabia is currently working on a rail line that is in the same alignment as its segment of the GCC regional railway.

The 264km first phase of the UAE’s Etihad railway has also been operational since late 2015.

Etihad Rail, the project client, recently restarted the procurement process for stage 2 of the scheme by seeking a project and costruction manager as well as an engineering design contractor.

MEED understands stage two of the Etihad railway  network will connect the existing first phase of the railway to Mussafah and the ports in Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali in Dubai.