Saudi Arabia and Qatar sign high-speed rail deal to link capitals 

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signed a formal agreement to construct high-speed rail connecting their capitals, the first project of its kind between the two Gulf states that were once deeply at odds.

According to a statement in official Saudi media on Monday, the “high-speed electric passenger railway” would connect Riyadh’s King Salman International Airport with Doha’s Hamad International Airport.

The Saudi cities of Al-Hofuf and Dammam are also expected to be on the network.

The train would reach speeds exceeding 300km/h (186mph) and the trip would take roughly two hours between the two capitals.

A direct flight between the cities clocks in at around 90 minutes.

The project, set to be completed in six years, expects to serve 10 million passengers per year and create 30,000 jobs across both countries, the statement said.

The agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the latter’s visit to Riyadh.

The project, considered one of the most significant modern infrastructure undertakings between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, marks the latest in a series of moves marking the drastic improvement in ties between the two Gulf countries in recent years.

Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had cut all diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017.

The four nations accused Doha of backing groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and seeking closer ties with Saudi Arabia’s archrival Iran – allegations Qatar vehemently denied.

Relations were fully restored in January 2021 after a summit in the Saudi desert city of AlUla.

MBS visited Doha in December 2021 for the first time since the thaw in ties, as part of a regional Gulf tour.

Since then, leaders from the two kingdoms have met regularly and joined forces to back diplomatic initiatives including calls for a ceasefire in Israel’s more than two-year genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza.

Riyadh also threw its support behind Qatar following Israel’s first known attack on Qatar in September, which targeted leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas, housed in a Qatari government residential complex, as they gathered to discuss a ceasefire deal proposed by United States President Donald Trump.

At least six people were killed and four others injured in the strikes, including members of Hamas and the Qatari security forces as well as civilians.