Saudi Arabia and Qatar sign high-speed rail deal to link capitals

The project, acceptable to beryllium completed successful six years, is the archetypal of its benignant betwixt the 2 Gulf nations.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar person signed a ceremonial statement to conception high-speed obstruction connecting their capitals, the archetypal task of its benignant betwixt the 2 Gulf states that were erstwhile profoundly astatine odds.

According to a connection successful authoritative Saudi media connected Monday, the “high-speed electrical rider railway” would link Riyadh’s King Salman International Airport with Doha’s Hamad International Airport.

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The Saudi cities of Al-Hofuf and Dammam are besides expected to beryllium connected the network.

The bid would scope speeds exceeding 300km/h (186mph) and the travel would instrumentality astir 2 hours betwixt the 2 capitals.

A nonstop formation betwixt the cities clocks successful astatine astir 90 minutes.

The project, acceptable to beryllium completed successful six years, expects to service 10 cardinal passengers per twelvemonth and make 30,000 jobs crossed some countries, the connection said.

The statement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the latter’s sojourn to Riyadh.

The project, considered 1 of the astir important modern infrastructure undertakings betwixt Saudi Arabia and Qatar, marks the latest successful a bid of moves marking the drastic betterment successful ties betwixt the 2 Gulf countries successful caller years.

Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had cut each diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar successful June 2017.

The 4 nations accused Doha of backing groups specified arsenic the Muslim Brotherhood and seeking person ties with Saudi Arabia’s archrival Iran – allegations Qatar vehemently denied.

Relations were afloat restored successful January 2021 aft a acme successful the Saudi godforsaken metropolis of AlUla.

MBS visited Doha successful December 2021 for the archetypal clip since the thaw successful ties, arsenic portion of a determination Gulf tour.

Since then, leaders from the 2 kingdoms person met regularly and joined forces to backmost diplomatic initiatives including calls for a ceasefire successful Israel’s much than two-year genocidal warfare connected Palestinians successful Gaza.

Riyadh besides threw its enactment down Qatar pursuing Israel’s archetypal known onslaught connected Qatar successful September, which targeted leaders of the Palestinian radical Hamas, housed successful a Qatari authorities residential complex, arsenic they gathered to sermon a ceasefire woody projected by United States President Donald Trump.

At slightest six radical were killed and 4 others injured successful the strikes, including members of Hamas and the Qatari information forces arsenic good arsenic civilians.