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Work to start on $3bn Oman-UAE rail network

By Pramod Kumar
Freight trains on the Oman-UAE rail network will reach 120 km per hour, while passenger trains will reach 200 km per hour Unsplash.com/Jake Weirick
Freight trains on the Oman-UAE rail network will reach 120 km per hour, while passenger trains will reach 200 km per hour

Work will soon start on the $3 billion Hafeet Rail, a railway network between Oman and the UAE, local media has reported.

The railway line will include two 2.5 km long tunnels and 36 bridges, Oman Daily Observer reported, citing Abdul Al Hatmi, CEO of Asyad Group.

Oman Rail, part of Asyad Group, and the UAE’s Etihad Rail signed a contract in September 2022 to launch Oman and Etihad Rail Company – now rebranded as Hafeet Rail – to build a railway network connecting Sohar Port to the UAE railway network.

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Hafeet Rail will have passenger and freight stations in Sohar and Al Ain, and another freight station in Buraimi, the newspaper said.

The journey between Sohar and Al Ain will take 47 minutes.

Freight trains will transport more than 25,000 tonnes of general cargo in one trip, reducing carbon emissions by 10 times compared to other transport means.

Al Hatmi said the freight trains will reach a speed of 120 km per hour, while the passenger trains will run at 200 km per hour. 

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