After a three-and-a-half-year hiatus, the Salwa border station reopened in January 2021.

The Salwa border crossing between Qatar and Saudi Arabia was finally inaugurated this week following major expansion work ahead of the World Cup.

The new port will have a daily capacity of more than 24,800 cars, with 12,096 arriving and 12,726 departing, a major increase from the previous capacity of just 3,000 card per day/

The new Salwa connector will play a critical role in improving the mobility of cars and travellers, in addition to increasing the amount of commerce interchange and economic links between the two countries.

Officials expect the new crossing to improve the experience of visitors and help them complete important procedures more quickly because it will increase the efficiency of border crossing checks, particularly during the upcoming World FIFA Cup Qatar 2022.

“The new Salwa port would be instrumental in enhancing the movement of vehicles and travelers, in addition to its role in enhancing the volume of trade exchange and economic relations between the two countries,” a Saudi official said.

After a three-and-a-half-year hiatus amid the 2017 GCC crisis, the Salwa border station finally reopened in January 2021.

As part of a series of restrictions imposed on the Gulf country, Saudi Arabia closed its side of Qatar’s only land border in June 2017.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed major travel and economic restrictions on Qatar, effectively placing an illegal air, land and sea blockade on the neighbouring Gulf state.

However, the restrictions were finally lifted during the Gulf Summit in January 2021, when the Al Ula Declaration brought the crisis to a head.

Qatar is expecting some 1.5 million visitors to attend the World Cup – the first ever such tournament to take place in the Middle East. Travellers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other parts of the region are expected to flock to Qatar on land, via the Salwa crossing.