“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.
