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UAE minister confirms Oman rail link timeline

17 May 2023

Oman-Etihad Rail Company, the developer and operator of the $3bn UAE-Oman Rail Network, is nearing the completion of its prequalification process and is set to release the tender documents soon.

“The prequalification process is currently under way and we hope to award [the project] on schedule as planned,” said the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and Oman-Etihad Rail Company chairman of the board of directors, Suhail Mohamed Faraj al-Mazrouei, in an interview with MEED.

When asked about the completion of the tendering process this year, the minister confirmed it is possible.

Oman-Etihad Rail Company initiated the prequalification process for companies interested in bidding for the civil works package of the project in March. These firms are expected to demonstrate their recent experience in delivering projects of a similar scale, encompassing tasks such as earthworks, structures, track works, tunnels, freight facilities, stations and depots.

Contractors from the UAE, Oman, Turkiye, Greece, India and China are understood to have shown interest in qualifying for the civil works package of the UAE-Oman Rail Network.

The project

Oman-Etihad Rail Company is a joint venture of the sultanate’s national railway developer and operator Oman Rail and the developer and operator of the UAE’s Etihad Rail.

It was established in September last year to implement the 303-kilometre railway network between the two countries.

The project recently received a push after Oman-Etihad Rail Company inked a strategic agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment Company to support its development.

The overall investment for the planned railway link is $3bn.

The UAE-Oman Rail Network is set to improve the competitiveness of the two countries in global trade and help establish their positions as logistics hubs that serve as gateways to regional markets.

The scheme supports both countries’ sustainable development goals by improving their transport and infrastructure sectors. 

The line is expected to reduce the overall cost of supply chains due to its increased efficiency compared to other modes of transport. The network will also provide trade and investment opportunities for the private sector and new job opportunities.

Passenger trains will run up to 200km per hour, reducing the journey time between Sohar and Abu Dhabi to 100 minutes and between Sohar and Al-Ain to 47 minutes.

Freight trains will reach 120km per hour.

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Eva Levesque

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