Hafeet Rail, formerly Oman and Etihad Rail Company, has awarded construction contracts for the US$ 3bn railway network between Oman and the UAE.
Indian conglomerate Larson & Toubro and Chinese state-owned Power China will develop railway logistics facilities in Al Buraimi on the border with the UAE, and Sohar, a port in the North of the Sultanate, the UAE state-owned WAM news agency reported.
The Sohar facility will also include provisions for locomotive and wagon maintenance operations.
The Chinese state-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation will design, engineer and supply freight wagons. The wagons will support cargo movement for varied freight types, including bulk commodities and containerized cargo. The contract values were not disclosed.
Asyad Group
The UAE’s Etihad Rail and Oman Rail, part of Asyad Group, launched the Oman and Etihad Rail Company, now rebranded as Hafeet Rail, in 2022.
The railway line will connect the Sohar Port freezone in north eastern Oman to the UAE railway network and will include two 2.5km long tunnels and 36 bridges.
Freight trains will transport more than 25,000 tonnes of general cargo in one trip, reducing carbon emissions by 10 times compared to other means of transport.