Kuwait awards GCC rail link design consultancy contract to Proyapi
The scope of work will includes study, detailed design, and tender document preparation, the contract was awarded in January for $8.1mn, with the advisory period set to last about a year
The Minister of Public Works, Noura Al Mashaan, has signed a design contract with Turkish company Proyapi for the first phase of its GCC railway network to initiate the design of the initial phase of the Kuwait-to-Gulf countries railway project. The scope of work includes study, detailed design, and tender document preparation.
The consultancy contract was awarded to Proyapi in January for US $8.1mn, with the advisory period set to last about a year. The Kuwaiti part of the project is scheduled to be completed by 2030. The Kuwaiti segment of this project will feature a 111km track running from Shadadiya (site of the main Kuwait Railway Station on a two million sqm plot) to Nuwaiseeb.
This strategic project aligns with the GCC vision to establish a 2,177km transnational railway network connecting all member states from Kuwait to Oman. The six Gulf Cooperation Council countries agreed to build the rail network in 2009 and construction has started on railways in the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed Al-Saleh, Assistant Undersecretary for Planning and Development and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works, said, “The project has great social and economic importance for the smooth transport of passengers and goods, it is being implemented in line with the desire of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries”.
“The signing ceremony marked the commencement of the project in Kuwait. Once you sign the design contract, you’ve started and placed the wheels on the right track, it was not possible to determine the final cost of the Kuwaiti part of the project until the final design is completed,” he added.
Construction is already underway in the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and the project aims to boost regional trade, travel, and tourism. Once completed, the network will provide both passenger and freight transportation services across the region. The agreement encompasses design and engineering studies, soil testing, route mapping, and the preparation of tender documents for the subsequent construction phase. Once the design work is finalised, Kuwait will move forward with inviting bids for the actual construction.
