Oman is planning work on the first phase of its $15bn 2,244km rail network in 2014, transportation ministry assistant director-general Salim bin Said bin Salim Alami has announced.
Speaking on the sidelines of a rail conference, Alami was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We expect the works will start in 2014 and in the fourth quarter, the first segment starts.”
The Oman Railway Co, which has been created to handle management and operations of the country’s railway system, expects to complete contract awarding for different project packages, along with project management consultancy contract, by the fourth quarter of next year.
Funded by the government and expected to be fully operational by 2018, the rail network would link Buraimi, bordering the UAE, to six major settlements in Oman including Sohar.
The line will ultimately link to a rail network, which is still being planned, across the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and to Yemen.
“Our vision in this project is to help the logistics industry and trade, a significant GDP player in Oman, and to connect ports to the GCC as best as we can,” Alami said.
The preliminary design of the project, which is likely to boost Oman’s trade and industry, will be carried out by the Italian state railways engineering firm, Italferr.
Separately, a $15.5bn rail network project is also being planned by the Gulf Arab states to connect Oman to Kuwait through the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.