Filed on March 13, 2018 | Last updated on March 13, 2018 at 05.12 am

A trans-Gulf train network has been in the works for some time.

The United Arab Emirates will have a rail link with Saudi Arabia by the end of December 2021, a senior transport official said on Monday.

"By the end of December 2021, we will have a connection between us and the Saudis," Abdullah Salem Al Kathiri, director general of the Federal Authority for Land and Marine Transport, spoke at a conference in Dubai.

The planned 2,100km (1,300 mile) passenger and cargo network connecting the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states was pushed back at least three years to 2021.

The UAE suspended construction of its portion of the network in 2016, while Oman said it would shift its focus to building its domestic network.

Several projects across the region had been put on hold as Gulf oil producers struggle with low crude prices and rising budget deficits.