Economic growth, interstate trade, and increasing populations have driven support for transportation investment in the Middle East in recent years. According to Research And Market’s Railway Construction Projects in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), 2021 Update, there was more than $520 billion of railway projects in various stages of development across the region as of April.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) each have hundreds of billions of dollars earmarked for investments in high-speed rail and city metro lines with the goal of creating modernized transport systems to connect communities and enhance urban development. Many of these projects embrace environmental stewardship and technological innovations like driverless metro lines and urban traffic management systems.
Below is a look at four key Middle East railway projects that have either been recently completed or are in the development stages.
Etihad Rail Network (UAE)
Etihad Rail, with funding from the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance and UAE Ministry of Finance, is carrying out the development of the UAE’s first national rail network. Initiated in 2009, the 746-mile network is under construction and, once completed, will connect the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman while extending to the border of Saudi Arabia. It will feature links to industrial hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Ras Al Khaimah as well as the Port of Fujairah, Khalifa Port, and Jebel Ali Port. The complex project also involves blasting through 16 kilometers of the Hajar Mountains.
While there is no targeted date for completion, the first stage of the Etihad Rail Network, a 164-mile line connecting gas fields in Habshan and Shah to the port of Ruwais, was completed in 2016. It has since transported 33 million metric tons of sulfur for the production of products including fertilizer and paper. UAE is now the world’s largest sulfur exporter. Once completed, the network is expected to transport 60 million metric tons of freight per year. Passenger travel is expected to follow.
UAE cities are designed with comprehensive road transport systems and, as a result, the country’s per-capita carbon footprint is among the largest in the world. Through freight capacity, the Etihad Rail Network has the potential to save more than 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year, which equates to removing 375,000 vehicles from the road.
“I think rail has a huge role to play in helping the UAE reduce its carbon footprint,” Middle East Economic Digest editorial director Richard Thompson told CNN. “Rail can provide a much more efficient mode of transport for goods and people movement around cities; it can help your cities function better.”
Dubai Metro Route 2020 (UAE)
Inaugurated in 2009, the Dubai Metro was one of the first urban train networks developed in the Arab World. Its Red Line and Green Line span 32.4 miles and 14 miles, respectively, and provide access to attractions such as the Burj Khalifa, Emirates Towers, Mall of the Emirates, and Dubai Marina. The Green Line alone transports more than 100,000 passengers per day.
Dubai Metro is expanding in anticipation of Expo 2020, which was postponed and will now take place from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new Route 2020 connects Jebel Ali Metro Station to the Expo 2020 site and provides Dubai Metro access to people in the following communities: Discovery Gardens, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Investment Park, and The Gardens. The line is more than 9 miles long and involves an underground tunnel from Al Furjan to the Green Community. By 2030, Dubai Metro expects Route 2020 to carry 275,000 passengers per day.
Riyadh Metro (Saudi Arabia)
An in-development rapid transit system spanning more than 110 miles, the Riyadh Metro includes six different lines, the longest of which is the 25.3-mile Line 3, which features 20 stations and runs east to west along Prince Saad Bin Abdulrahman Al Awal and Al Madinah Al Munawwarah roads. There are 85 stations along the entire network. The $23 billion project launched in April 2014 and is a core component of Riyadh’s expansion plan, which also includes the development of an integrated 1,180-mile bus network with approximately 3,000 stops. Test runs began in August 2018 and commercial operation was expected for mid-2021.
Mineral Railway (Oman)
In effort to capitalize on the economic benefits of the minerals potential in its southern and central regions, Oman is seeking to push ahead with plans for a mineral railway line near mineral sites in Dhofar and Wusta Governorates. The proposed project has been in the planning stages for several years and, if constructed, is expected to transport more than 30 million tonnes of mineral commodities per year from the aforementioned sites to processing plants in Duqm and Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Minerals Development Oman, with the help of the Implementation Support & Follow-up Unit of the Diwan of Royal Court, is leading a detailed exploration study for the project. Meanwhile, Oman Rail conducted a socio-economic study in 2019 that highlighted the project’s potential to boost the GDP in Oman.