The GCC’s transport and communications ministers have not released a new timeline for the execution of the regional railway network following a meeting in Riyadh on 23 June.

Instead, GCC leaders were understood to have instructed their respective governments to prioritise the GCC railway network, according to the Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) citing Kuwait’s Public Works Minister Ali al-Omair, who spoke to reporters after the meeting.

Al-Omair said they discussed the developments on the project and indicated that the GCC member-states are now at various stages of preparing their respective segments of the regional rail network. He said some members have completed the design, others are still in the design stage, and others have begun implementation.

It is understood that Oman, Qatar and the UAE have completed the design of their respective rail segments that will link to the GCC rail, although the UAE have officially suspended the tender for phase 2 of Etihad Rail. Oman has also said it will delay its national railway project until the other GCC states proceed with the construction of their rail segments.

The Saudi Railway Company (SAR) has said it is in the process of completing the study for the Saudi part of the rail. Kuwait is awaiting final approval from the government on its national railway project, while Qatar Rail has postponed releasing the tender for its long-distance passenger rail to 2017.

The emergency meeting, so-called because it was convened before the scheduled regular annual meeting, usually takes place in the last quarter of each year.

The tone of the meeting seems to indicate that each government should re-start or expedite the approval of their rail projects that connect to the regional railway network.

Consultants, contractors and project clients across the region have been waiting for an official announcement from the GCC Secretariat and the transport ministers in terms of a new timeline for the 2,137-kilometre rail network that will link the GCC states to facilitate trade and passenger movement.

The GCC Rail network, which was conceived in 2008, was originally set for a 2018 completion date. Stakeholders agree that this target date is now impossible to meet.