Saudi Arabia, Qatar to build high-speed rail linking capitals

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signed a High-Speed Electric Rail Link agreement that will connect Riyadh and Doha.

The agreement was signed by Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the Emir’s visit to Riyadh.

The railway will be linking Riyadh’s King Salman International Airport with Doha’s Hamad International Airport, with the train reaching speeds exceeding 300 km/h. The cities of Al Hofuf and Dammam are also expected to be part of the project's network. 

The trip between the two capitals is estimated to take around two hours. A direct flight between Saudi Arabia and Qatar usually takes around 90 minutes, the railway trip only adding half an hour to the destination. 

Set to be completed in around six years, the railways aims to accommodate 10 million passengers per year, 

The project constitutes a major strategic initiative aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and Qatar National Vision 2030, contributing to the facilitation of tourism and trade flows and strengthening relations between the two countries, according to Qatar News Agency.