A consultancy firm has been commissioned by the GCC Secretariat General to conduct a feasibility study for a railway project linking all six member-states of the GCC region.
The first stage of the proposed railway project stretching from Kuwait to Muscat, then to Salalah extending up to the Oman-Yemen border,will start at the Oman-UAE border comprising the 136km Al Ain-Buraimi-Sohar stretch, Sohar to the Oman-UAE border (58km Khatmat Malaha-Fujairah stretch), Sohar to Muscat (242km) and from Muscat to Duqm (486km).
The stage also branches into domestic routes in the sultanate, namely Buraimi (about 27km), Sohar Industrial Port routes (8km) and a route for the central train station in Muscat, near Muscat International Airport (about 84km). The total length of the first stage is 1,061km.
“The initial feasibility study has pointed out that the Duqm-Thumrait-Salalah stretch connecting the Oman-Yemen border (about 841km) will cost the sultanate $5.2bn, which is 40% of $13bn, the amount the sultanate will spend on the total project,” the Omani Ministry of Transport and Communications said.