Transport in Bahrain encompasses road transportation by car, air transportation and shipping.
The country traditionally had one of the cheapest prices for gasoline at $0.78 per gallon ($0.21 per litre). [1] Due to massive budgetary deficits and low oil prices, the Bahraini government increased the price of gasoline in 2016–2017 to $0.37 per litre. [2]
The widening of roads in the old districts of Manama and the development of a national network linking the capital to other settlements commenced as early as the arrival of the first car in 1914. [3] The continuous increase in the number of cars from 395 in 1944,< A series of ring roads were constructed (Isa al Kabeer avenue in the 1930s, Exhibition avenue in the 1960s and Al Fateh highway in the 1980s [3] ), to push back the coastline and extend the city area in belt-like forms. [3] To the north, the foreshore used to be around Government Avenue in the 1920s but it shifted to a new road, King Faisal Road, in the early 1930s which became the coastal road. [3] To the east, a bridge connected Manama to Muharraq since 1929, a new causeway was built in 1941 which replaced the old wooden bridge. [3] Transits between the two islands peaked after the construction of the Bahrain International Airport in 1932. [3]
To the south of Manama, roads connected groves, lagoons and marshes of Hoora, Adliya, Gudaibiya and Juffair. [3] Villages such as Mahooz, Ghuraifa, Seqaya served as the end of these roads. To the west, a major [[higref name=Yasser/> to 3,379 in 1954 and to 18,372 cars in 1970 [3] caused urban development to primarily focus on expanding the road network, widening carriageways and the establishment of more parking spaces. [3] Many tracks previously laid in the pre-oil era (prior to the 1930s) were resurfaced and widened, turning them into 'road arteries'. Initial widening of the roads started in the Manama Souq district, widening its main roads by demolishing encroaching houses. [3] hway]] was built that linked Manama to the isolated village port of Budaiya, [3] this highway crossed through the 'green belt' villages of Sanabis, Jidhafs and Duraz. [3] To the south, a road was built that connected Manama to Riffa. The discovery of oil accelerated the growth of the city's road network. [3]
The four main islands and all the towns and villages are linked by well-constructed roads.[ citation needed ] There were 4,122 km (2,561 mi) of roadways as of 2010 [update] , of which 3,392 km (2,108 mi) were paved. [4] Multiple causeways stretching over 2.8 km (2 mi), connect Manama with Muharraq Island, and the Sitra Causeway joins Sitra to the main island. A four-lane highway atop a 24 km (15 mi) causeway, linking Bahrain with the Saudi Arabian mainland via the island of Umm an-Nasan was completed in December, 1986, and financed by Saudi Arabia.
Private vehicles and taxis are the primary means of transportation in the city.[ citation needed ]
Bahrain changed from driving on the left to driving on the right in November 1967. [5]
As of 2021, there were no railways in Bahrain, but plans were developing for a railway system connecting all the countries in the Persian Gulf [6] and for a light rail network within Bahrain. [7] A subway system has also been proposed. [8] In August 2018, Al-Ayam reported that transportation officials in Bahrain were looking for "bids to fund a new metro railway system in the fourth quarter of 2019." There were plans for the rail to be international, connecting to local railway systems in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. According to Ehsan Bayat, Bahrain's system will contribute 36 km to the network. The project is to be completed in four phases over four years and cost $1–2 billion, as a joint venture between the public and private sector. It will be a 109 km railway system, and the first in Bahrain. [9] It will be called the GCC Railway, linking all six Gulf States. Along with private funders, it will be funded by the Ministry of Transportation in KSA and King Fahad Causeway Authority. [10]
Bahrain has four airports, all of which have paved runways. [4] One airport is civil (Bahrain International Airport) and three are military (Isa Air Base, Sakhir Air Base, and Riffa Air Base).
As of 2008, Bahrain owns three harbors in Manama, Mina Salman and Sitrah. The port of Mina Salman can accommodate 16 oceangoing vessels drawing up to 11 m (36 ft).
| Element | Pipeline distance | Year estimated |
| Crude oil | 54 km (34 mi) [4] | 2013 |
| Natural gas | 20 km (12 mi) [4] | 2013 |
Since 2014, Bahrain has sought to promote itself as an open register. [11] As of 2020, there were 234 ships in Bahrain's merchant marine, of which 11 were general cargo ships, four were oil tankers, and 219 were other types of ships. [4]
Manama is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very diverse population. After periods of Portuguese and Persian control and a short invasion from the ruling dynasty of Saudi Arabia, followed by a longer invasion by Oman, Bahrain established itself as an independent nation in 1971 following a period of British hegemony.
Transport in Saudi Arabia is facilitated through a relatively young system of roads, railways and seaways. Most of the network started construction after the discovery of oil in the Eastern Province in 1952, with the notable exception of Highway 40, which was built to connect the capital Riyadh to the economically productive Eastern Province, and later to the Islamic holy city of Mecca and the port city of Jeddah. With the economic growth of the 1970s, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has initiated many infrastructure development projects across the country, and the extensive development of the transportation network has followed suit in support of various economic developments.
The Eastern Province, also known as the Eastern Region, is the easternmost of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. It is the nation's largest province by area and the third most populous after the Riyadh and Mecca provinces. In 2017, the population was 4,900,325. Of these, 3,140,362 were Saudi citizens and 1,759,963 were foreign nationals The province accounts for 15.05% of the entire population of Saudi Arabia and is named for its geographical location relative to the rest of the kingdom.
Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and the kingdom's fourth-most populous city, with a total population of 1,532,300 as of 2022. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province, in addition to the administrative offices of other minor governmental departments functioning within the province, are located in the city. The word itself is generally used to refer to the city, but may also refer to its eponymous governorate.
The King Fahd Causeway is a 25 km long series of bridges and causeways connecting Khobar, Saudi Arabia, and Al Jasra, Bahrain.
The Qatar Bahrain Causeway was a planned causeway between the two Arab states of Qatar and Bahrain. It was also expected that a ferry service would be established between the two countries in 2017.
Sitra, also known as Sitrah or Sitra Island, is an island in Bahrain, situated approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
Muharraq Island, formerly known as Moharek, is the second largest island in the archipelago of Bahrain after Bahrain Island. It lies 4 km (2.5 mi) east of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
A fixed link or fixed crossing is a permanent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries. A bridge–tunnel combination is commonly used for major fixed links.
Bahrain is a nation in the Persian Gulf, in a strategical position in relation to the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Iraq and Oman.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bahrain:
Bahrain Island, also known as al-Awal Island and formerly as Bahrein, is the largest island within the archipelago of Bahrain, and forms the bulk of the country's land mass while hosting the majority of its population.
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 per cent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.
The Gulf Railway, also known as the GCC Railway, is a proposed railway system to connect all six Gulf Cooperation Council member states in Eastern Arabia. The rail network will have a total length of 2,177 km. The project is estimated to cost US$250 billion. It was scheduled to be completed by 2025, although as of 2023, construction work has yet to start.
The Sitra Causeway consists of a series of bridges and causeways constructed in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The causeway is part of Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Highway and connects the island of Nabih Saleh and Sitra, to the capital city Manama across Tubli Bay.
Northern City Islands are a group of islands in the archipelago of Bahrain, lying 9 km (5.6 mi) west of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
Diyar Al Muharraq is a complex of seven artificial islands in the archipelago of Bahrain, located 10.5 km (6.5 mi) northeast of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Island is an artificial island in the archipelago of Bahrain. It lies 4.5 km (2.8 mi) east of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island and is part of the Prince Khalifa Bin Salaman Causeway from Bahrain island to Muharraq island.
South Sitra is an island in Bahrain. It lies 12.5 km (7.8 mi) south of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
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