Meed | Transport links stitch GCC together

Transport links stitch GCC together

25 November 2024

This package also includes: Cooperation strengthens Gulf markets

Analysis
Colin Foreman
Editor

Transport projects connecting the GCC have made stuttering progress over the years, with brief periods of intense project positioning typically followed by years of little progress.

These projects are crucial for intra-GCC trade, and, once built, should provide a catalyst for further economic activity.

Since the Al-Ula Accords were signed in January 2021, projects have started to move forwards again, with schemes including the GCC railway network, the GCC grid, and several other road and causeway links at various stages of planning and construction.

GCC rail

For the GCC railway network, GCC leaders approved the establishment of the GCC Rail Authority in January 2022. The entity is entrusted with overall policymaking and coordination among member states to ensure the smooth delivery and operation of the scheme.

The railway will stretch over 2,177 kilometres (km), from Kuwait, through Dammam in Saudi Arabia, to Bahrain, with a causeway to be constructed between the two countries, and from Dammam to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and finally to Muscat via Sohar in Oman.

There will be 684km of track in the UAE, 663km in Saudi Arabia, 306km in Oman, 283km in Qatar, 145km in Kuwait and 36km in Bahrain.

Passenger trains will run at 220 kilometres an hour (km/h), while freight trains will travel at 80-120km/h.

The project is expected to take a significant step forward this year with the award of the contract to prepare the operational plan study for the scheme. Speaking at the Global Rail event in Abu Dhabi on 8 October, sources told MEED that “the evaluation is in the final stages and the contract award is imminent”.

A source added that the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council has set a deadline of 2030 for the project to be operational.

Several causeways are planned that will provide transport links between countries in the GCC. After stalling after 2010, Qatar and Bahrain have agreed to restart plans to develop the $4bn Qatar-Bahrain Causeway project. The two countries have also instructed the respective authorities to finalise plans for initiating the implementation of the project. The next step will be establishing a technical committee and appointing a consultancy to work on the designs.

The 40km-long causeway will connect the eastern coast of Bahrain to the northern region of Qatar. It will feature a dual two-lane highway and a rail link for the GCC rail network.

Once built, these transport projects should provide a catalyst for further economic activity

Construction on the project was originally scheduled to start in early 2009 after a consortium led by Vinci Construction Grands Projets signed a $3bn design-and-build contract in May 2008.

The consortium also included Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, Germany’s Hochtief, Greece’s Consolidated Contractors Company and Belgium’s Deme Group.

The project was initially designed by France’s Lavigne & Cheron Architects. US-based consultant KBR was appointed as the project management consultant with support from Halcrow, which is now part of US-based Jacobs.

Further crossings

Another planned international crossing is the second causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The $3.5bn project, which has been called the King Hamad Causeway project, was moving towards construction in 2021 when it was included in Bahrain’s $30bn Strategic Projects Plan. Since then progress has been slow, and it is understood that the authorities are re-evaluating how the project should move ahead.

The project involves building a 25km road and rail crossing linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. It will follow the same alignment as the existing King Fahd Causeway. It has been earmarked for delivery on a public-private partnership basis. The King Fahd Causeway Authority appointed a consortium to provide transaction advisory services in late 2019.

The $8.9m consultancy agreement was signed with a consortium of Netherlands-headquartered KPMG, US-based Aecom and UK-based CMS. The team was tasked with working on developing the financing model, the required engineering specifications and design, as well as helping with the assessment and selection of the developers.

Canada-based SNC Lavalin and UK-based consultancy firm PwC conducted the project due diligence study in 2017.

The existing King Fahd Causeway is operating at capacity. About 11.5 million cars cross the causeway every year, and the growth has been 6% per annum over the past 10 years.

Another causeway being considered is a link connecting Abu Dhabi and Qatar. The proposed link could provide road and rail access between Qatar and the UAE, bypassing Saudi Arabia, located between the countries.

The concept has been considered before. There were plans in 2005 that involved building a 40km causeway starting near Sila in Abu Dhabi emirate and extending to the south of Doha.

In the past, there have been difficulties with the route because it runs across Saudi Arabian territorial waters.

Road links

Overland road links have also been built. In 2021, a 725km-long road running through the Empty Quarter from Saudi Arabia to Oman opened. The Saudi section of the highway is 564km long, and the Oman section runs for 161km. The highway provides a link between the two countries bypassing the UAE.

When it opened, the authorities added that the road would improve trade between Oman and Saudi Arabia and give Oman access to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Ports. Likewise, it gives Saudi Arabia access to Oman’s ports on the Arabian Sea.

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Colin Foreman

Exclusive from Meed

Contractor wins Riyadh airport sewage plant deal
10 September 2026
Azizi to announce $8bn Sharjah residential community
10 September 2026
Saudi Arabia’s power award activity slows
10 September 2026
Chinese contractor wins NHC Al-Fursan Riyadh deal
10 September 2026
Seven tenders Dammam water park and hotel project
10 September 2026

Contractor wins Riyadh airport sewage plant deal
10 September 2026
The local Safari Company has been selected to build a sewage treatment plant at the King Salman International airport (KSIA) development in Riyadh.

The contract for the facility is yet to be formally signed with King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC), a source close to the project told MEED.

The facility will have a treatment capacity of 92,000 cubic metres a day and is estimated to be worth SR700m ($187m).

In July, MEED reported that Safari was one of seven contractors awaiting a decision on a contract to build the sewage treatment plant.

It is understood that bids were submitted in March, following the tender’s release earlier this year.

The plant will treat wastewater generated by the airport and surrounding developments, including passenger terminals, runways, residential districts, commercial facilities and logistics areas.

The bidders (all local) are:
- Al-Rawaf Trading & Contracting
- Almajal Alarabi
- Nesma Water & Energy
- Safari Company
- Saudi Services for Electro-Mechanic Works
- Washnah Contracting
- Water & Environment Technologies (Wetico)
The project scope includes the construction of the treatment plant, the installation of preliminary, secondary and tertiary treatment systems, sewage collection and conveyance pipelines, pumping stations, and electrical and control systems.

US-headquartered Jacobs is acting as the main project consultant. Commercial operations for the plant are scheduled for 2029.

The sewage treatment plant is one of several water infrastructure packages planned for the airport. KSIADC is also evaluating bids for a separate $30m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract covering potable water and fire water tanks and an associated pumping station. The same seven companies submitted bids for that package.

Earlier in July, MEED exclusively reported that a joint venture of Beijing-headquartered China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Dammam-based Mofarreh AlHarbi & Partners had won a deal to undertake the enabling and substructure works for Terminal 6 at KSIA.

That same month, MEED exclusively reported that contract details were being finalised for the main construction contract for the expansion of Hail airport. It is understood that Safari Company was appointed as the contractor for this project.

The terminal expansion works include the south expansion, which encompasses the construction of a new building covering 5,600 square metres. This building will connect to the existing terminal from the southern side.

The expansion will increase the airport’s capacity to about 1.7 million passengers a year by 2030.
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Mark Dowdall
Azizi to announce $8bn Sharjah residential community
10 September 2026

Dubai-based real estate developer Azizi Developments is preparing to launch Azizi Florence, a AED30bn ($8bn) masterplanned community in Sharjah.

Named Azizi Florence, the project will mark the developer’s first venture in the emirate of Sharjah.

The community will include 1,130 villas, over 6,000 townhouses and 3,500 apartments.

Planned as a fully integrated destination, Azizi Florence will combine residential, retail, hospitality, education, leisure, and wellness components, anchored by a 1.7 million-square-foot central park.

The development will be organised into six residential clusters, each featuring its own park, clubhouse, community centre and landscaped gardens.

Azizi Florence is another major addition to the developer’s UAE portfolio.

In April last year, Azizi announced plans to develop the Azizi Milan community in Dubai’s City of Arabia area.

According to media reports, the project will be developed at an estimated cost of AED75bn ($20bn) and will offer over 81,200 residential units.

The developer said the project will cover an area of about 40 million square feet, making it one of the largest mixed-use communities in the UAE.

In 2023, Azizi launched the Azizi Venice project in the Dubai South area. The estimated AED30bn ($8.17bn) mixed-use development will offer more than 30,000 residential units, including 100 mid-rise apartment complexes and 400 villas, two five-star hotels and an opera house.

The development will also include schools, a hospital, cycling and jogging tracks, a 3-kilometre-long swimmable lagoon, water features and landscaped parks.

Dubai real estate developments dominate the UAE’s construction market, with schemes worth over $323bn in the execution or planning stages.

This is in line with a forecast by GlobalData, which projects that the output of the UAE construction sector will grow by 4.2% in real terms in 2025, supported by developments in infrastructure, energy and utilities and residential construction projects.

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Yasir Iqbal
Saudi Arabia’s power award activity slows
10 September 2026

Saudi Arabia’s power market has seen a sharp fall in contract awards in 2026 following a major wave of renewable energy investment last year.

According to regional project tracker MEED Projects, about $3.38bn of power sector contracts were awarded in the kingdom as of early September, compared with $27.5bn in 2025, $54.2bn in 2024 and $26.1bn in 2023.

The relatively low level of contract awards this year has partly been influenced by a shift towards wider infrastructure such as battery energy storage systems (bess) and transmission projects, alongside delays in the procurement of renewable energy projects under the National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP) Round 7.

In September, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) awarded four Group 1 storage service agreements representing more than SR4.35bn ($1.16bn) of investment. The projects will provide a combined 2,000MW of capacity and 8,000MWh of storage.

Three bess projects, Al-Muwyah, Haden and Al-Kahafa, were awarded to a consortium of Saudi Energy, Acwa and Al-Sharif Contracting & Commercial Development Company. Another consortium of France’s Engie and Haji Abdullah Alireza & Co won the contract for the remaining Al-Khushaybi bess project.

Transmission awards

The battery storage projects are part of a broader shift towards the infrastructure needed to support Saudi Arabia’s expanding power system, with transmission accounting for most of the contracts awarded this year, reaching $3.35bn in new awards.

The largest is the estimated $500m contract awarded to Alfanar Projects in March for the 500kV overhead transmission line linking Saudi Arabia’s Eastern and Central operating areas. The 508-kilometre project will have a transmission capacity of 3,000MW.

Saudi Energy, formerly Saudi Electricity Company, is implementing a $58.7bn grid investment programme through 2030, including 130 high-voltage substations, about 12,900km of overhead transmission lines and 1,100km of underground cables.

Saudi Energy is the largest owner by value so far this year, accounting for about $1.9bn of contract awards, while SPPC has awarded more than $1.1bn in new contracts.

The focus on storage and transmission follows strong growth in renewable generation investment in 2025. Wind power contract awards reached $4.4bn, while 11 major solar contracts were also awarded.

In May 2025, developers signed $8.3bn of power purchase agreements with SPPC for five solar plants and two wind farms with a combined capacity of 15,000MW, somewhat inflating last year’s figures. The projects, backed by the Public Investment Fund, reached financial close in November.

Renewables projects

The next major phase of renewable procurement is now moving through the tender process. The seventh round of NREP, tendered in January, will add 5,300MW through four solar and two wind projects.

Based on the procurement timeline for the Round 6 projects, which were tendered and awarded in 2026, it was reasonable to expect Round 7 to follow a similar schedule.

However, according to one developer, rising supply costs have been a factor in recent deadline extensions for these projects, with those involved “waiting till these come down”.

With the latest bid submission deadlines set for September, the timing of the procurement process means contracts from NREP Round 7 may now fall into 2027 rather than materially lifting this year’s total.

The solar projects comprise the 1,400MW Tabarjal 2, 600MW Mawqqaq, 600MW Tathleeth and 500MW South Al-Ula independent power projects (IPPs). The round also includes the 1,300MW Bilgah and 900MW Shagra wind IPPs.

This helps explain why Saudi Arabia’s power sector contracting could remain relatively subdued in 2026 despite a substantial volume of projects progressing through procurement.

Project pipeline

According to MEED Projects, about $5.1bn of power projects are currently under bid evaluation and a further $7.3bn are at the main contract tender stage.

Solar projects make up the largest share, at about $5.1bn, or 41% of the total. There continues to be relatively strong diversification, with cable and overhead-line projects accounting for about $3bn, followed by wind at $2.2bn, oil and gas-fired power at $1.1bn and substations at about $1bn.

Renewable energy remains a particularly significant part of the development programme. Saudi Arabia raised its renewable energy target to 130GW by 2030 in 2023 and needs to add roughly 20GW of capacity a year to meet it.

Large-scale storage is also expected to continue expanding. The latest SPPC projects build on five bess facilities awarded by Saudi Energy through National Grid Saudi Arabia to Alfanar in 2025. The facilities have a combined capacity of up to 2,500MW, equivalent to about 10,000MWh.

SPPC has also issued the request for proposals for the second phase of its independent bess programme in Saudi Arabia. The Group 2 programme comprises six independent storage provider projects with a total capacity of 3GW, equivalent to 12,000MWh based on a four-hour storage duration. Developers are due to submit bids in October.

The timing means the Group 2 projects could contribute to contracting activity in 2027, alongside this next batch of renewable projects under NREP Round 7.

Nuclear power could provide another potential source of activity over the next 12 months. The US and Saudi Arabia signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in July, providing the legal foundation for a long-term, multibillion-dollar nuclear partnership.

While the agreement is unlikely to translate immediately into major contract values, further progress on Saudi Arabia’s nuclear programme could add another area of activity in the sector as the kingdom moves into 2027.

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Mark Dowdall

Chinese contractor wins NHC Al-Fursan Riyadh deal

10 September 2026

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Beijing-headquartered China Airport Construction Group (CACC) has won a contract for the main construction works on the Al-Ruba project, located within the Al-Fursan master development in Riyadh.

The Al-Fursan project developer, National Housing Company (NHC), awarded the contract.

The scope covers the construction of 48 eight-storey buildings, comprising 2,556 residential apartments.

CACC is already working with NHC to deliver the Rehab Al-Sadan residential project at the Al-Sadan development in Jeddah.

It comprises the delivery of about 1,400 residential units across several buildings.

In 2023, NHC and Saudi Arabia’s Housing Ministry signed investment agreements totalling more than SR24bn ($6.4bn) to launch the Al-Fursan residential project.

Al‑Fursan is described as the largest scheme in terms of area and number of housing units that NHC is implementing in partnership with other real estate developers.

For the district’s first phase, 18 real estate development agreements were signed with companies including Retal Urban Development Company and Sumou Real Estate Company.

NHC also signed four consultancy contracts to manage projects and supervise implementation of phase one and the deployment of comprehensive infrastructure works.

Other deals involved the development of facilities, including commercial and recreational areas, hospitals, health and sports centres, mosques and schools.

MEED reported in 2020 that Riyadh planned to oversee the development of more than 1 million homes by 2025 to meet growing demand in the kingdom.

By 2030, the Saudi capital aims to more than double its population, from 7-8 million to 15-20 million, and become one of the 10 wealthiest cities in the world.

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

Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

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

> AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape

> MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire

> INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena region

> INTERVIEW: Emsteel persists with business productivity and efficiency

> TUNNELS: The Gulf’s next construction boom is happening underground

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

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Yasir Iqbal

Seven tenders Dammam water park and hotel project

10 September 2026

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, has tendered a contract for the main construction package of its Dammam Water Park and Hotel project in the Al-Hamra district.

The bid submission deadline is 14 October.

The waterfront development sits on a 324,300-square-metre (sq m) plot.

In July, MEED exclusively reported that Seven was preparing to shortlist general contractors for the project.

Seven is seeking firms capable of delivering a lump-sum, turnkey solution for both the water park and a 321-key lifestyle hotel. Construction is expected to take 24 months from contract award.

The water park is designed around five themed zones and will feature what is billed as the world’s first double-tornado/triple-wave waterslide.

The park will include 21 major rides and attractions, 21 food and beverage outlets, 66 cabanas, parking for 1,100 vehicles and a daily peak capacity of 4,500 guests.

Slide procurement has already been completed directly by Seven. The selected contractor will be responsible for locally sourcing slide towers, integrating them with rockwork and secondary steel, and installing the units.

Detailed design and issued-for-construction packages are complete.

Marine works, piling, dewatering and site utilities are being progressed separately by the existing early works contractor.

The hotel component covers roughly 31,700 sq m of gross floor area and will offer 321 guest rooms, four F&B outlets, spa and wellness facilities, a family pool, and meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition space.

The new contractor’s scope includes superstructure concrete works, façade and roof works, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, interior fit-out and landscaping.

Seven will consider only contractors with demonstrated experience delivering water parks with complex aquatics, theming and rockwork – either directly or through clearly defined subcontractor partnerships – along with a track record in high-end turnkey hotel fit-outs.

Construction of Seven’s Dammam entertainment complex is under way. In October 2023, Saudi Binladin Group won contracts worth around SR5bn ($1.3bn) from Seven to build two entertainment destinations in the Dammam and Al-Khobar areas of the kingdom’s Eastern Province.

The Al-Khobar entertainment complex is being built on reclaimed waterfront land. The complex spans around 300,000 sq m and is also known as ‘The Waves’.

The Dammam entertainment complex spans 360,000 sq m and is being built on reclaimed land on the Dammam waterfront.