The network will connect Asian and European trade and tourism.
Getting into Saudi Arabia has never been easier. Airlines from around the world are coming to the Kingdom, and now there are plans to connect Saudi Arabia and Egypt via railway. The development will be part of a wider Asia and European network, which will encourage trade and tourism.
The Transport Minister of Egypt, Kamel Al-Wazir, shared plans to connect Saudi Arabia to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Egypt has been expanding its railways along seven separate axes, and the upcoming connection could be through a bridge or tunnel. The high-speed lines could connect Alexandria with Aswan, and Sokhna Port in the Mediterranean.
Kamel explained: “We have now completed the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and are ready to implement it at any time, whether it is a bridge or a tunnel. But the (current) solution for connecting Egypt with Saudi Arabia and Jordan is through the Arab Bridge Maritime Co., which currently has 13 vessels that can take cargo between Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt”.
This is not the first time the idea of a Saudi Arabia to Egypt railway has been proposed. In 2016, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud proposed the idea for a bridge that would complement the megaproject NEOM. The lines would begin in NEOM and end at the Pyramids of Giza.
As part of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia opened to tourists in 2019. The country aims to welcome 17 million visitors a year and reach 150 million visitors by 2030.
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GO: Visit www.presidency.eg for more information.