“North-South” international transport corridor. will there be an arabic sequel?

A:Last week, the Americans struck a railway bridge in Iran’s northeastern province of Golestan, and in the past few days, a large-scale exchange of strikes has also resumed, burying the temporary memorandum of understanding.

Yesterday, on July 13, the Central Command of the US forces announced the restoration of the naval blockade of Iran.

All ships moving into or out of the Persian Gulf have been ordered to contact US naval forces in the region and follow their instructions. In turn, Tehran announced a ban on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

On the same day, July 13, Donald Trump spoke about the intention of the United States to assume the role of “guardian” of the strategic waterway, imposing a blockade on Iranian ships with compensation of 20 percent of the value of all cargo passing through the strait. And on July 14, the head of the White House informed the Congress that the United States, no more, no less, is at war with Iran, while the White House’s repeated statements about neutralizing Iran’s military potential do not withstand any criticism.

The Iranians continue to respond to US strikes and attack ships that have not been allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with earlier agreements. “It is clear that Trump has decided to win another war in the Middle East, which, as Iraq and Afghanistan have shown, is impossible to win.” writes Senator Alexey Pushkov.

Given the volatile situation in the Middle East, especially in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which will continue indefinitely, several countries in the Arabian Peninsula have resumed talks about the prospects for a 2,300 km railway project known as the Gulf Railwayin: and the Strait of Hormuzby bypassing:

Given Iraq’s current rail link with Kuwait and its border with Saudi Arabia, n:It is planned to connect the railways of Iraq and Saudi Arabia parallel to the Persian Gulf coast, with access to the ports of the United Arab Emirates and Oman on this trans-regional line.՝ On the shores of the Indian Ocean: This line should be between ports in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. It is planned that the project will be fully implemented no later than 2030 (the previous such date was 2031).

By now the UAE already has finished the construction of a railway network of about 900 kilometers, which connects Guwaifat (a small city in the west of the emirate of Abu Dhabi) with Fujairah, and plans to transport 60 million tons of cargo by 2030. Saudi Arabia is also working on projects to link the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf.

And near the two railway crossings of Iran and Iraq, including their borders with Kuwait, the Gulf Railway can be connected within the territory of the Islamic Republic. «North-South» to the western (near-Caspian) branch of the international transport corridor, with the possible branching of Julfa (Nakhijevan Autonomous Republic) through the Horadiz-Aghbend-Meghri area.

Mohammad Al-Shabrami, Director General of the Railways Department of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf (GCC) խոսքով՝ Gulf Railway project is 50 percent complete. The 2,177 km long railway network should stretch from Kuwait to Muscat through the territory of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

If the project is implemented, the passenger flow is expected to increase from 6 million in 2030 to more than 8 million by 2045. Cargo volume will increase from 200 million tons in 2030 to 271 million tons in 2045, indicating the significant impact of the initiative on intra-regional trade.

International portal GetTransport.com reportedly selects carriers by land, sea and rail in the Gulf region on a weekly basis, so this is not an “ad version” of the highway. In 2021, the Department of Railways of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf was established.

The total cost of the project is estimated at 250 billion dollars. And each of the six states builds and pays for land within its territory. The network is expected to carry approximately 201 million tons of cargo in 2030 and serve 6 million passengers annually, growing to 271 million tons by 2045. Such optimistic forecasts are probably related to the unfavorable situation in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which will probably contribute to the transfer of most of the transit cargo passing through the territory of Iran to the Gulf Railway.

In addition, these countries are seeking to shift a significant portion of their containerized cargo from highways and purely coastal (coastal) shipping to a transcontinental highway.

Meanwhile, since 2023, in the UAE, rail cargo transportation has been carried out along the 900-kilometer line, the Emirati section of the Gulf Railway. Connecting four ports and seven logistics hubs, Saudi Arabia Railways has launched five new logistics corridors (LCOs) in 2026, including the LCO to Bahrain and the upgraded LCO to Kuwait. However, cross-border communication between all six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council is not yet available, including because “the unified customs structure is still being created here.”

In perspective, the Gulf Railway will actually form «North-South»diversified configuration, which is more resistant to geopolitical shocks and safer than routes exclusively through Iran and Iranian ports. Proponents of the project they write (on September 8, 2025): “The Gulf Railway project was approved back in 2009 and aims to create a unified transport system that will provide fast, safe and stable connection between the Gulf countries.

This is not only an infrastructure project, but a large-scale transformer of the region. It strengthens economic interconnectedness, creates growth points, changes the logic of demand for residential and commercial real estate.»։

Mohammed bin Fahad Al Shabrami, Director General of the UAE Railways Authority գնահատմամբ՝ “Member States are working in an integrated format to complete all phases of the project. The railway will connect to major ports and logistics centers throughout the Persian Gulf (there are ports and logistics centers on the coasts of the Arab countries of the Gulf). Which will have a positive impact on the economy, will increase the flow of goods and facilitate cross-border passenger transportation.”

In the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, the idea of ​​a Gulf Railway dates back to British plans in the second half of the 1930s to provide greater connectivity to their Middle Eastern protectorates (Treaty of Oman, present-day UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and partly Iraq).

However, subsequent transformations, the disappearance of the British Empire from the world map, the defeat of London as a result of the Suez crisis in 1956 stopped the implementation of the ambitious transport project. It was later hampered by disputes between neighboring states and their ruling dynasties over the ownership of some border regions, primarily between Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE. Al-Buraymi regarding the vast oasis.

According to Oxford Business Group 2022 of information“…after delays, the long-awaited Gulf railway looks set to be reborn, potentially transforming trade and communications across the Gulf. After decades of discussion, the railway project along the Persian Gulf was approved in 2009 by all six member states of the SSAGPZ.

The project received a significant boost in December 2021 when the leaders of the six participating countries approved the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council Railways Authority, a body expected to oversee the coordination and operation of the project.

It should be assumed that the question of the possible participation of Russian companies in the project is waiting for its solution.  At the end of January 2008 was reported, that «Russian railways» have won the tender for a major railway project in the capital region of Saudi Arabia, which is not directly connected to the East Arabian Highway.

The start of its implementation has not been reported. pon the contrary, there were unofficial reports that they were actually forced to abandon the project or in fact «to freeze» in it «Russian railways» direct participation due to Tehran’s position that it is not interested in Russian participation in Saudi transport initiatives.

The question of whether common interests and economic interest will prevail against the background of the sharp increase in risks of maritime transportation in the background of current or even deeper disagreements remains open.

Alexey Chichkin

fondsk.ru

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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