Transport in Oman

[9] In September, the Supreme Committee for Town Planning, which was in charge of the project since the beginning, handed it to the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC).

Shortly, the Ministry of Transport began preparing for launching initial tenders for project design and consultancy.

[11] In March, the Ministry of Transport announced the opening of a tender for the preliminary design of nine freight yards for the first phase of the project.

The largest yards, at Sohar and Duqm, are planned at either end of the network, as they will be intended to manage the freight volumes handled by the industrial ports at those sites.

[13][14][15] In September, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, the Omani Minister of Transport and Communications, asked private companies to think about investing in the railway project.

[19] In February 2015, the Government Tender Board selected a consortium headed by Spanish engineering contractor Técnicas Reunidas to provide project management consultancy services for the network.

[20] The GCC Railway project was suspended in 2016 after some partner countries decided to hold their rail plans due to the decline in oil price.

[22][23] In June 2021, the government of Oman announced the planning for the first metro and passenger rail services that would link Muscat City and its major airports.

[24][25] In February 2023, an agreement was signed for development of a route linking the port of Sohar to the UAE railway network.