One Third of all GCC Transport Infrastructure Spend on Rail

As the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council invest in regional and national infrastructure, it has come to light that one third of overall spend on infrastructure projects is on railways.

Between the six nations, USD $298 billion is planned to be spent on railway projects alone. Of the GCC nations, Saudi Arabia is the biggest individual spender, with plans or construction projects under way to upgrade its existing railway network and add new lines. The Kingdom is adding 3900 km of new track on three major projects including the El Haramein Railway between Jeddah, Mecca and Medina; and the Saudi Land Bridge project that will link Riyadh with Jeddah.

Per capita population, the GCC is undergoing one of the biggest infrastructure spends in the world, as member states seek to diversify their economies away from oil and into other enterprises. The UAE is investing in enabling sulphur to be exported from its sour gas fields while Saudi has ore mines that will soon be linked by rail to ports.