General Secretariat - Doha

His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said that the GCC countries have achieved practical steps for the Gulf railway project on the ground, and there are advanced levels of implementation.

He pointed out that the latest of these achievements is the establishment of the Hafeet Rail between the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which aims to design, develop, and operate a railway network connecting Sohar to the UAE's national railway network as part of the Gulf railway network.

This came during the 26th meeting of the Committee of GCC Ministers of Transport and Communications, on Thursday, November 7th, 2024, in the Qatari capital, Doha. The meeting was chaired by His Excellency Mr Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport of the State of Qatar - the current session's president - and attended by Their Excellencies the Ministers of Transport of the GCC countries.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency the Secretary General expressed his deepest thanks, appreciation, and gratitude to His Highness Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar and the President of the current session of the Supreme Council of the GCC, as well as to the Government, and the people of Qatar, for hosting this blessed meeting, and for the facilities and support provided by the State of Qatar to ensure the success of the Cooperation Council's work, praising, at the same time, the support and attention given to the joint Gulf work by His Highness and his brothers, Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC countries.

His Excellency also mentioned in his speech that the transport sector plays a fundamental role in the economic, social, and urban development of all countries of the world, due to its direct impact on economic growth, supporting economic sectors, and increasing employment rates.

"Our wise governments have made great efforts to develop this vital sector and its infrastructure, as clearly demonstrated in the achievements made by the GCC countries at the local, regional, and global levels. This comes through the keenness of the Supreme Council on the strength and cohesion of the Cooperation Council, and achieving more coordination, integration, and interconnection in all fields, to achieve the aspirations of the citizens of the GCC countries. The relevant authorities in the GCC countries, in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council, have worked on everything that would develop the transport sector as an integrated system among the GCC countries in land, sea, air, and rail transport," His Excellency said.

Moreover, His Excellency the Secretary General pointed out the many achievements made by the esteemed Committee of Ministers of Transport and Communications of the GCC countries, have contributed to strengthening joint Gulf work in the field of transport and communications as well as to facilitating and accelerating the movement of citizens and residents, and the transport of goods between member states.

"In the field of land transport, unified standard specifications for the construction of connecting roads and main roads in the GCC countries were issued, along with a Gulf glossary of road terms in Arabic, the adoption of a unified guide for traffic control devices between the GCC countries, and the adoption of a list of requirements for road transport safety. The adoption of the unified system (law) for international land transport between the GCC countries by the Supreme Council in its 43rd session in December 2022, is the latest achievement in the field of land transport. This system (law) aims to regulate international land transport between the GCC countries," he explained, adding: "

"In the field of maritime transport and ports, unified port rules and instructions in the GCC countries were issued, along with safety regulations for small vessels in the GCC countries, unified terms and conditions for licensing companies to inspect and examine small vessels, unified terms and conditions for granting driving licenses for small marine units, and the unification of the measurement mechanism in surveying, inspection, and calculating the loads of vessels in the GCC countries, among other achievements."

His Excellency continued by highlighting the tangible achievements of the committee in other integrated and strategic projects, most notably the GCC railway project. The project to link the GCC countries by rail, which is currently underway, will represent a qualitative leap in joint Gulf interconnection and integration, due to its direct positive effects on the movement of citizens and residents between the GCC countries, facilitating intra-regional trade, which exceeded $100 billion in 2023, in addition to supporting joint investments in the region, contributing to strengthening Gulf economic integration.

"According to the results of a study on the expected volume and movement of passengers and goods on the GCC railway project, the number of passengers using the GCC railway network is expected to exceed 8 million in 2045. The volume of goods expected to be transported through this project will reach 95 million tons in 2045," His Excellency concluded.

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