Metro Route Works Begin for Airport-to-Seef Line

Airport-to-Seef trains and a Juffair-to-Isa Town line will form the spine of Phase One of Bahrain’s planned metro, the Transportation and Telecommunications Minister has said, as work begins to prepare the route.

HE Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said the ministry is working under the project’s approved plan and coordinating with relevant bodies to complete the route works for the first stage.

In a written reply to a parliamentary question from MP Lulwa Ali Al Rumaihi, the minister said the metro is expected to improve traffic flow by adding a mass-transit option alongside buses. He said it should shorten journey times, make day-to-day travel easier for citizens and residents, and cut reliance on private cars as Bahrain moves towards a more sustainable public transport system.

He said the Bahrain Metro and the GCC Railway are being managed separately in planning and delivery, but with ongoing coordination so the two schemes can link up in the future in line with shared national and Gulf goals. He added that progress on one project would not directly affect the other.

He said the two projects are expected to reduce congestion on key routes, raise the share of travel by public transport and provide a dependable, long-term network for travel across the country.

The minister said the total cost cannot yet be set because the final design has not been completed and market conditions continue to change. He said the final figure, and any needed changes, will be settled once detailed studies and designs are completed and approved.

Phase One is planned to include 20 stations, with two main interchange stops for transfers between the lines, one in the Bahrain Financial Harbour area and the other at the Central Market in Manama, intended to serve key residential and commercial districts.