"The Cabinet approved a request from the Transport Ministry to prepare engineering blueprint for the railway and follow up implementation of the project," Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said.
He said the Cabinet meeting chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah instructed the Finance Ministry to allocate necessary funds for the railway, which will be completed in 2017.
The Cabinet decided a working team should be set up at the ministry to supervise the design and implementation of the Saudi part of the project. A GCC source said work on the railway would start in 2012 after the completion of engineering studies.
The project would change transportation patterns in the GCC. Train services across the six GCC states will facilitate movement and travel of GCC citizens as well as expatriates and boost regional trade.
Beginning from Kuwait, the railway will pass by the eastern Saudi city of Dammam where it will connect with Bahrain through a bridge parallel to King Fahd Causeway before reaching Qatar via Salwa while another line will connect the Kingdom with the UAE through Bathaa. It will run through Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain to reach Oman through Sahar and Muscat. It will also connect Qatar and Bahrain through a bridge. Land acquisition expenditures for the project is estimated at $ 3.1 billion while the cost of purchasing trains and locomotives at $ 1.8 billion. It will have trains with a speed of 350 km/hour.
Khoja said the Cabinet also discussed the National Day that falls on Sept. 23, marking King Abdul Aziz’s efforts to unify the Kingdom. “This day reminds us of the great achievement accomplished by King Abdul Aziz, the founder, and the fundamental principles he set to govern the country,” King Abdullah told the ministers.
King Abdullah reiterated the Kingdom’s adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah and its efforts to achieve modern development while preserving its traditional values. He also stressed that the National Day celebrations should reflect Saudi values and morals.
The Cabinet agreed to double the number of girl students benefiting from the school transport system beginning from the new academic year (2011-2012), especially in regions where the system has been found successful.
The Cabinet also instructed that the system be applied to boy students from this academic year gradually, introducing it in selected regions. It will be implemented throughout the Kingdom once found successful. The Cabinet endorsed the protocol signed with the Muslim World League regarding its headquarters.
The Cabinet decided to protect the areas reserved for fisheries investment in Jazan and Tihama plains and issue deeds for the benefit of the Agriculture Ministry. Coastal fisheries investment projects are exempt from this law.
