Gulf railway would see a line extending for 1,984 kilometers, starting at the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border and running parallel to the Gulf coast down to Saudi Arabia and Qatar and on toward Oman. Other routes have been proposed, and will carefully be examined during any feasibility study. Once finished, other lines from countries outside the GCC could be linked, forming an Arab rail network. Experts predict that a region-wide rail network would make trade between states more efficient, and cost effective, as well as generate increased tourism for the entire Middle East, with travelers from inside and outside the region using rail travel to visit different countries. "The prospect of traveling across the Middle East by rail is not as remote as it may sound. There is a lot of work to be done, and many issues to be resolved, but within 10 years we could be crossing the region in high-speed rail carriages," Sabouni added. "The development of the Middle East's rail sector promises to be as exciting as the changes we are currently seeing in the region's aviation industry," said Edmund O'Sullivan, editorial director and conference chairman, MEED which is organizing the meet.
