Meed | UAE-Oman railway prequalification gets under way

UAE-Oman railway prequalification gets under way

13 March 2023

Oman-Etihad Rail Company, the developer and operator of the $3bn UAE-Oman Rail Network, has started the prequalification process for companies interested in bidding for the civil works package of the project.

The firms being sought could be a local company, a joint venture, or a consortium led by a local company registered in the UAE or Oman.

They are expected to have recent experience delivering a similar-sized project, with a scope that includes earthworks, structures, track works, tunnels, freight facilities, stations and depots.

The prequalification document is available between 13 and 27 March, according to the company’s website.

MEED previously reported that the prequalification process for the planned UAE-Oman railway would start in the first half of the year.

The 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 develop the 303-kilometre railway network between the two countries.

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

Passenger trains will run up to 200 km 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 120 km per hour.