Turkey said to be considering rail link to Gulf states

Turkey is studying a rail linkup with the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperative Council, according to a report Tuesday from the news agency The Media Line.

The link would expand upon a proposed $6 billion rail network already being studied that would link the GCC countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. The rumored timeline for the project would be four years, with the cost yet to be determined.

One option would be to route the rail line through Iraq, while another option would avoid the chaotic situation there and instead go through Jordan and Syria. Most of the railway would run through Saudi Arabia, which is building a rail link that connects the Persian Gulf with the Red Sea.

The GCC states signed an agreement to establish a free trade pact with Turkey in May 2005 and negotiations are expected to begin soon to implement the agreement.