Kuwait’s Municipal Council has approved the route corridor for a high-speed railway linking the country with Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.
The approval designates the land required for the railway project within Kuwait, a section that extends about 85km from the country’s south-western border with Saudi Arabia to the Shadadiya area near Kuwait’s new university campus.
The railway line forms part of a broader 500km Saudi-Kuwait high-speed railway project designed to link Kuwait City and Riyadh.
With the right-of-way approval granted, implementation works are expected to begin later this year, with the railway expected to become operational by 2030.
According to Gulf News, trains are expected to operate at speeds of up to 300km/h, reducing journey times between Riyadh and Kuwait to under two hours, making rail competitive with short-haul flights. Three daily services are currently planned.
Kuwait is also working on a much wider railway programme with the other five member states of the Gulf...