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• 
  Consultants submit bids for Saudi Arabia’s GCC rail link

  20 July 2026

  

   

  Consultants submitted proposals on 14 July for a contract to provide design consultancy services for the Saudi Arabian section of the GCC railway network, which is intended to link all six member states.

  Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) issued the tender on 7 May, MEED previously reported.

  The tender covers the concept, preliminary and issued for construction design stages. SAR requires the selected consultant to review, update and complete the existing preliminary design.

  The consultants who submitted bids include: 

  • Atkins with Khatib & Alami
  • DeutscheBahn with ARX
  • Egis with Sener
  • Idom with Dal al-Handasah
  • Systra

  Saudi Arabia’s section of the railway will start at Al-Khafji in the Eastern Province, near the border with Kuwait, and end at Al-Batha, on Saudi Arabia’s border with the UAE. The route length in Saudi Arabia will be about 672 kilometres (km).

  The railway will interface with the Kuwait National Rail Road (KNRR) project on the Kuwaiti side. Last year, MEED exclusively reported that the KNRR design contract was awarded to Turkiye’s Proyapi Muhendislik ve Musavirlik Anonim Sirketi.

  The KNRR forms part of the wider GCC rail network. GCC railway projects have gained renewed momentum since the six member states signed the Al-Ula Declaration in January 2021.

  In October last year, Qatar’s cabinet approved a draft agreement paving the way for a railway link between Qatar and Saudi Arabia as part of the GCC railway network.

  GCC railway line

  Under the overall plan, the railway will run from Kuwait, pass through Dammam in Saudi Arabia, reach Bahrain via a planned causeway, and continue from Dammam to Qatar, the UAE and, ultimately, Muscat via Sohar in Oman. The railway is reported to span about 2,186km in total.

  The route length within each member state is as follows: 684km in the UAE, 672km in Saudi Arabia, 306km in Oman, 283km in Qatar, 145km in Kuwait and 36km in Bahrain.

  The railway is designed for passenger trains travelling at 220km/h and freight trains operating at 80-120km/h.

  With high levels of project activity, governments in spending mode and renewed cooperation under the Al-Ula Declaration, the latest efforts to restart the GCC railway project may make more progress than previous attempts. If completed, the railway could prove transformational for a region that is globally connected but still divided by national borders.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Abu Dhabi launches E20 highway expansion project

  20 July 2026

  Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has announced the E20 highway expansion project.

  The scheme covers widening the main carriageway from three to five lanes, constructing more than 10 kilometres (km) of new ramps and loops, and building four bridges.

  Works also include 1.5km of internal roads and the addition of eight signalised junctions across Khalifa City and the Zayed International airport precinct.

  The project includes utility works, comprising 62km of stormwater drainage, 37km of irrigation networks and the installation of 485 streetlights.

  The E20 expansion is one of the major infrastructure schemes being overseen by DMT in Abu Dhabi.

  Separately, DMT is evaluating bids for a design-and-build contract to construct two bridges serving Hudayriyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

  The scope includes a two-lane bridge connecting 32nd Street to Shakhbout Bin Sultan Street, and a single-lane bridge on 8th Street. It also includes upgrades to signalised intersections.

  Shakhbout Bin Sultan Street is a two-way road with three lanes in each direction, providing access to and from Hudayriyat Island.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17704696/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Firms given more time for Mid Island Parkway prequalifications

  20 July 2026

  

   

  Abu Dhabi’s Modon Infrastructure has extended the deadline to 31 July for firms to submit expressions of interest and prequalification statements for the next phase of Abu Dhabi’s Mid Island Parkway Project (MIPP), which will be developed as a public-private partnership (PPP).

  The previous deadline was 15 July. MEED understands the prequalification notice was issued in June, following Modon Infrastructure’s invitation in May for firms to register their interest.

  Modon Infrastructure will act as the lead developer and will hold a majority equity stake in the project company. It will award contracts for engineering, procurement and construction; operations and maintenance; and project advisory services.

  Phase two of the MIPP involves the construction of about 11 kilometres (km) of highways, comprising a mix of three-, four- and five-lane sections. The highways will connect the Um-Yifeenah, Al-Jubail, Al-Sammaliyyah and Sas Al-Nakhl islands to Khalifa City and the E10 road.

  The scope also includes the construction of three interchanges – E20, E10 and Dumbbell – on Al-Sammaliyyah Island.

  The project includes several major structures, including the E20 interchange, which will feature cast-in-place box-girder and void-slab bridges, and the E10 interchange, which will feature cast-in-place box-girder bridges. It also includes I-girder bridges between Raha Beach West and Sas Al-Nakhl Island, as well as a causeway at Sas Al-Nakhl Island.

  Further elements include a cast-in-place balanced cantilever bridge between Sas Al-Nakhl Island and Al-Sammaliyyah Island; a tunnel between Al-Sammaliyyah Island and Bilrimaid Island; and a cut-and-cover (open) tunnel on Bilrimaid Island. Another tunnel will connect Bilrimaid Island to Um-Yifeenah Island.

  Abu Dhabi awarded three packages for phase one of the MIPP in 2024. The contract for Package 1A was awarded to a joint venture of Turkish contractor Dogus Construction and UAE firm Gulf Contractors. Package 1B was awarded to a joint venture of Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and China Railway International Group. Beijing-headquartered China Harbour Engineering Company and the UAE’s Agility Engineering & Contracting Company won the contract for Package 1C.

  Phase one starts at the existing Saadiyat Interchange, connecting the E12 to the MIPP, and ends at the recently constructed Um-Yifeenah Highway.

  It comprises a dual main road with a total length of 8km, including four traffic lanes in each direction, two interchanges, a tunnel and associated infrastructure works.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Aramco executive becomes Samref chairman

  17 July 2026

  Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company (Samref) has announced the appointment of Abdullah Bin Saleh Al-Suwailem as the chairman of its board of directors.

  Al-Suwailem serves as senior vice president of Western Region manufacturing at Saudi Aramco.

  Prior to being appointed chairman, Al-Suwailem had been a member of the Samref board since .

  Samref is the downstream joint venture of Aramco and US oil and gas producer ExxonMobil. The entity owns a crude refining facility located in Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, which entered operations in November 1984.

  The Samref refinery has a capacity of 400,000 barrels a day (b/d) and mainly produces propane and several grades of automotive diesel oil, two grades of marine heavy fuel oil and sulphur.

  In a , Samref said that Al-Suwailem “brings more than 30 years of leadership across the refining and petrochemicals sectors, having led some of the kingdom's most significant industrial joint ventures”.

  “We expect his deep expertise in governance and large-scale operations to be invaluable as Samref continues its journey of growth and operational excellence. We look forward to his leadership in steering the board's strategic direction,” Samref added.

  Aramco and ExxonMobil signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2025 to evaluate a significant upgrade of the Samref complex and expand the oil refining facility into a world-class integrated petrochemicals complex.

  The MoU between Aramco and ExxonMobil to upgrade the Yanbu refinery and convert the facility into an integrated refining and petrochemicals complex was signed at the Saudi-US Investment Forum held in Riyadh on 13-14 May 2025, during US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Saudi Arabia.

  MEED understands that the Samref petrochemicals expansion project is one of the schemes that comprise Aramco’s $100bn liquids-to-chemicals programme.

  Aramco has divided its liquids-to-chemicals programme into four main projects and has taken steps forward this year by signing joint-venture investment agreements with foreign partners for these schemes:

  • Conversion of the Saudi Aramco Jubail Refinery Company (Sasref) complex in Jubail into an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex through the addition of a mixed-feed cracker. The project also involves building an ethane cracker that will draw feedstock from the Sasref refinery. Front-end engineering and design (feed) on the project is under way and is being performed by Samsung E&A, although progress has been slow.
  • Conversion of the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company (Yasref) complex in Yanbu into an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex through the addition of a mixed-feed cracker. China’s Sinopec is a joint-venture partner in the project.
  • Conversion of the Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company (Samref) complex in Yanbu into an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex through the addition of a mixed-feed cracker. US oil and gas producer ExxonMobil, Aramco and Samref signed a venture framework agreement in December to begin preliminary feed work on the project.
  • Building a crude oil-to-chemicals complex in Ras Al-Khair in the Eastern Province. Progress on this project remains slow.

  The central aim of the strategic programme is to derive greater economic value from every barrel of crude produced in Saudi Arabia by converting 4 million b/d of Aramco’s oil production into high-value petrochemicals and chemicals feedstocks by 2030.

  Aramco and its subsidiary Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) were tasked with establishing 10-11 large mixed-feed crackers by 2030. These petrochemicals crackers, which included greenfield developments and expansions of existing facilities, were to be built both in Saudi Arabia and in overseas markets.

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  READ THE JULY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf aviation ambitions face uncertain future > AIRPORTS: Dubai and Riyadh reaffirm airport ambitions > MARKET FOCUS: Levant recovers in three speeds  > INDUSTRY REPORT: Dubai eyes tourism sector recovery > INTERVIEW: EtihadWE prepares roadmap for future projects  > PROJECTS MARKET: Mena project momentum holds despite conflict  > DATA CENTRES: Big Tech falls short on data centre promise > SAVINGS: Retirement creates multibillion-dollar opportunity for region   > LEADERSHIP: Aramco’s citizen developers accelerate digital change

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17697004/main.gif

  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Accor expects Dubai hotel recovery by mid-2027

  17 July 2026

  

   

  Paris-headquartered hotel operator Accor expects Dubai’s hotel market to return to pre-conflict occupancy levels by the end of the first quarter or early second quarter of 2027, with room rates lagging the volume recovery by several months.

  Duncan O’Rourke, chief executive for the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific at the hotel operator (pictured right), said the group had maintained profitability across its Dubai portfolio during the conflict period through cost control and revenue management, but acknowledged that rates and occupancy had fallen materially from January and February levels.

  “There is no question that this crisis affected Dubai,” O’Rourke said at a media briefing in Dubai on 26 June. “As for occupancy in Dubai, we managed – through profit protection and cost control – to keep the hotels in a positive position, so we weren’t losing money.”

  He said the arrival of the summer low season provided a degree of relief. “If there is a time to slowly slide out of this crisis, it is the right time, which is now. What I see going forward is that volumes will come back. You will not have the rates immediately that you had in January and February. By the end of Q1 or Q2 next year, I think you will get close to where we were.”

  Luxury first

  O’Rourke said the luxury and upper-upscale segment was likely to lead the recovery, consistent with the pattern observed after previous crises.

  “Generally, when you have a crisis, the first segment to click back quicker is the high-end luxury. People then think: it is not about whether I should go – it is, let’s go. We saw that in Covid. Fairmont is well positioned to do that, and the Sofitel and Maison brands are in the stage of recovery going forward.”

  Jean-Jacques Morin, group deputy chief executive at Accor (pictured right), said the UAE’s underperformance had been contained within Accor’s broader international portfolio that continued to grow.

  “The Middle East is about 10% of the network,” he said. “That also explains why my tone on the capability of the results is so positive – not only do you have the hedging across geographies, but it is also, in the end, only one part of the business.”

  Rate outlook

  Morin dismissed concerns that the conflict had structurally weakened Dubai’s pricing power, drawing a parallel with the period following Covid-19.

  “When we came out of Covid, everybody said those prices would never hold. The question at every analyst call was always the same: your pricing strategy is unsustainable. Guess what? Nothing changed. The prices now, three or four years later, are still the same.”

  He argued that consumers consistently prioritise travel expenditure when reallocating budgets. “What you see when the economy goes sideways is that people reallocate disposable income differently. People are basically redirecting the way they do things and keeping the same amount they want to spend, but spending it differently.”

  Morin also said Dubai has a track record of outpacing expectations after previous disruptions. “The first part of the world, post-Covid, that came back to positive RevPAR was the Middle East – it was Dubai. People forget that. The capacity of this part of the world to rebound, and the capacity of the industry to rebound in general, is always misunderstood.”

  No pullback

  Accor said it had not paused or cancelled any development commitments in the region as a result of the conflict. “We did not change anything from a strategic perspective,” Morin said. “The last thing you want is to pull back, because this is going to rebound.”

  The group has also used the period to accelerate planned refurbishments and redeploy staff across the region rather than reduce headcount.

  “We have 380 hotels here – we are the largest player in the Middle East. Where we accelerated refurbishments, we were able to take key employees and move them to larger hotels elsewhere in the region. What people learned during Covid was the cost of layoffs afterwards – bringing people back and retraining them. There was a massive learning curve. This time, discussions with partners about layoffs were less challenging; it was more about accommodating staffing needs during that period,” O’Rourke said.

  ---

  READ THE JULY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf aviation ambitions face uncertain future > AIRPORTS: Dubai and Riyadh reaffirm airport ambitions > MARKET FOCUS: Levant recovers in three speeds  > INDUSTRY REPORT: Dubai eyes tourism sector recovery > INTERVIEW: EtihadWE prepares roadmap for future projects  > PROJECTS MARKET: Mena project momentum holds despite conflict  > DATA CENTRES: Big Tech falls short on data centre promise > SAVINGS: Retirement creates multibillion-dollar opportunity for region   > LEADERSHIP: Aramco’s citizen developers accelerate digital change

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17695301/main.gif

  Colin Foreman