As a small country, local transport in

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

is largely road-based with one car for every 2.25 people. Bus services make up Kuwait's entire public transport network. There are seven airports in Kuwait, the largest of which and solely allocated for civil use is

Kuwait International Airport Kuwait International Airport (, ) is an international airport located in the Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, south of the centre of Kuwait City, spread over an area of . As of 2024 it is the 11th busiest airport in the Middle East. It serves a ...

. The

Gulf Railway 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 ...

is currently under planning in Kuwait. Kuwait has several maritime ports along the coast of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

, the largest port is

Mubarak Al Kabeer Port Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is a port in Bubiyan Island, Kuwait. The port is currently under construction. In April 2021, the port's first phase was completed (4 berths). The port is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Purpose Mubarak Al Kabee ...

which is currently under construction. During the First Gulf War, a lot of Kuwait's infrastructure was damaged or destroyed.

Road transport

As a nation with one car per 2.25 people, Kuwait relies heavily on its road network for transportation. The total length of paved and unpaved roads was 6,524 km in 2009.

Traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...

is common throughout the day, particularly in

Kuwait City Kuwait City (; ) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Pal ...

. The country's public transport network consists entirely of bus routes. The state-owned Kuwait Public Transportation Company was established in 1962. It runs local bus routes across Kuwait. The main private bus company is CityBus, which operates about 28 routes across the country. Another private bus company, Kuwait Gulf Link Public Transport Services, was started in 2006. It runs local bus routes across Kuwait and longer distance services to neighbouring Arab countries.

Ports and harbors

Kuwait lies on the

and ports include: Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud, and

Mubarak Al Kabeer Port

Under China's

Belt and Road Initiative The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), known in China as the One Belt One Road and sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the government of China in 2013 to invest in more t ...

, the

is part of the first phase of the Silk City project. As of 2021, the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is currently under construction. In September 2020, it was reported that the port was 53% complete. In March 2021, it was announced that Kuwait and Pakistan will develop linkages between Pakistan's

Gwadar Port The Gwadar Port ( ) is situated on the Arabian Sea at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan and is under the administrative control of the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and operational control of the China Overseas Port Holding Compan ...

and Mubarak Al Kabeer Port. In April 2021, the port's first phase was completed (4 berths). As part of Mubarak Al Kabeer Port's development,

Bubiyan Island Bubiyan Island () is the largest island in the Kuwaiti coastal island chain situated in the north-western corner of the Persian Gulf, with an area of . Bubiyan Island is part of the Shatt al-Arab delta. The Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is currently ...

will contain power plants and substations. A 5,000-megawatt power plant has already been built in Subiya, the Subiya power plant is the largest power plant in Kuwait. Mubarak Al Kabeer Port is among Kuwait's largest infrastructure projects in 2021. There is a current road project connecting Mubarak Al Kabeer Port's first phase to the existing road network in Bubiyan Island. Mubarak Al Kabeer Port's

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...

s are currently under development. The port is set to be environmentally sustainable.

Merchant marine

''total:'' 38 ships (1000 GT or over) 2,294,233 GT/3,730,776 DWT
''ships by type:'' bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 20
''foreign-owned:'' 1 (Iran 1)
''registered in other countries:'' 29 (Bahrain 3, Comoros 1, Liberia 1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saudi Arabia 6, UAE 8) (2005)

Airports

Overview

There are seven airports, the largest of which and solely allocated for civil use is

. Kuwait International Airport recently inaugurated two new terminals to cater to Kuwait-based airlines. Moreover, the largest Kuwait International Airport terminal (Terminal 2) is currently under construction and will expand the airport's overall capacity by 25–50 million passengers per year. The new terminal is environmentally sustainable. It is one of the world's largest environment friendly airport projects.

Airports - with paved runways

*Total: 4 *over 3,047 m: 1 *2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 *1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

Airports - with unpaved runways

*Total: 3 *1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 *under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Heliports

*12 (2023)

Kuwait-based Airlines

This is a list of airlines currently operating in Kuwait.

Railways

Gulf Railway

will form one terminus of the

, a railway network which will run from Kuwait to

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

, via cities across the

. As of 2021, the Gulf Railway project is currently under construction in Kuwait. Mubarak Al Kabeer Port in Bubiyan Island is part of the Gulf Railway.

Metro

The Kuwait Metropolitan Rapid Transit System Project was a planned four-line metro network covering 160 km with 69 stations. The project was meant to solve the increasing congestion to the country's roads. The project was eventually cancelled in 2023, citing financial burden.

References

External links

{{Asia topic, Transport in