KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT) has opened financial bids for a 12-month design contract for a 111km railway linking Kuwait City to the Saudi Arabian border. This project is part of the larger Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) railway initiative, which aims to construct over 2,000km of new rail lines across the region at an estimated cost of more than $200 billion, reports International Railway Journal. Among the four bids received, Turkey’s Proyapi Engineering and Consulting submitted the lowest offer at KWD 2.47 million ($8.15 million). Other bidders included China Railway Company with a bid of KWD 6.77 million, Spain’s Sener at KWD 8.82 million, and Systra Turkey at KWD 9.73 million.

Despite nine companies seeking to prequalify for the contract, five were excluded from consideration. The design and consultancy work is expected to be completed within a year, after which tenders for the construction phase will be issued. Public Authority for Roads & Transportation Vice-President Haifa Al-Jarallah noted that the tender process has been expedited following discussions between Kuwait’s Minister of Public Works, Dr. Noura Al-Mashaan, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Mr. Saleh Al-Jasser. These meetings also explored the feasibility of a new rail line connecting Kuwait City to Riyadh. Al-Jarallah emphasized that appointing a design consultant marks the first phase of the railway project. The second phase will involve presenting the project to potential investors and selecting an investment partner, while the third phase will focus on implementation, anticipated to take about 30 months.

This railway initiative is a significant aspect of Kuwait’s 2035 national development plan, which aims to position the country as a global commercial and economic hub. The completion of Kuwait’s segment of the GCC railway is projected for late 2030.

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