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A state-of-the-art high-speed rail-link could soon connect Bahrain to Qatar, taking passengers from Manama to Doha in only 30 minutes.
German firm Transrapid International confirmed that it has been in “close contact with government agencies” in both countries with a view of developing a link, which will transport passengers across the waters of the Gulf at speeds of up to 300mph on one of its famed Maglev trains.
Maglev technology – which involves the suspension of objects by electromagnetic forces – first hit the headlines in 2002 with the opening of the world’s first operational high-speed conventional Maglev Railway in Shanghai, and Transrapid now has details of prospective projects for the Gulf region on its website.
Its proposals show two main projects – a 145km rail-link between Manama and Doha, and a further 185km route joining Dubai to Abu Dhabi via Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi international airports.
“The Transrapid and the possibilities it has to offer would be a fitting choice to establish a modern and attractive infrastructure in this economically attractive region,” according to the introduction to the proposed project on the firm’s site.
The idea was first discussed back in 2005, when former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder led a high-profile German delegation to each of the GCC countries to gauge the local appetite for such hi-tech transportation infrastructure.
