A long-delayed railway project to connect oil-rich Kuwait with other Gulf countries moved forward on Monday when Kuwait's Public Works Minister Noura Al-Mashaan inked a contract with Turkish company Proyapı to design the first phase of the plan.
Kuwait is set to be the northern terminus of the Gulf Railway, which will stretch 2,177 kilometers (1,353 miles) to the Omani capital, Muscat, passing through Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states.
The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries agreed to build the rail network in 2009 and construction has started on railways in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The railway will span 111 kilometers within Kuwait, from its southern border with Saudi Arabia in the Nuwaiseeb district to Al-Shadadiya in the north.
Ministry of Public Works spokesperson Ahmed Al-Saleh said the signing signaled the launch of the project in Kuwait.
"Once you sign the design contract, you've started and placed the wheels on the right track," Al-Saleh told reporters after the contract signing at the ministry.
The consultancy contract was awarded to Proyapı in January for approximately 2.5 million Kuwaiti dinars ($8.1 million), with the advisory period set to last about a year. The Kuwaiti part of the project is scheduled to be completed by 2030.
Al-Saleh said it was not possible to determine the final cost of the Kuwaiti part of the project until the final design is completed.
