A $15bn train project connecting Gulf Cooperation Council states is expected to start operating in 2023, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Jazira newspaper has reported. The first phase of the Gulf Railway Project, which is expected to be finalised that year, will connect Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, the newspaper said, citing new details on the timetable from the GCC Secretariat.

The second phase linking Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain in expected to be completed in 2025. However, there was no mention of GCC member Qatar, which was included in the project when it was first announced in 2001 as a means to facilitate trading among Gulf States. For the past three years, however, it’s been boycotted by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.