Muscat: Preparations for the construction work of the railway project linking the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates have begun, confirmed Engineer Abdul Rahman bin Salem Al Hatmi, CEO of the Asyad Group.
In a statement to the Oman News Agency,: the CEO of Asyad Group said: "The railway network has been designed using innovative engineering solutions to deal with the terrain and climate conditions. It will include two tunnels with a length of 2.5 kilometres each and 36 bridges, the height of some of them will reach 34 metres.
He stated that the project includes passenger stations at Sohar and Al Ain, while freight stations will be at Sohar, Buraimi and Al Ain.
The train will cover the distance between Sohar and Abu Dhabi in 100 minutes. With a length of 238 kilometres, the distance between Sohar and Al Ain will be completed in 47 minutes.
He explained that the project will contribute to economic returns. One trip of the freight train can transport more than 25,000 tonnes of general cargo, or ship more than 270 standard containers, and reduce carbon emissions by 10 times compared to other means of transport.
He pointed out that the speed of the freight train will reach 120 kilometres per hour, while the speed of the passenger train will be 200 kilometres per hour.
It is expected that the project will achieve savings in goods transport costs ranging from 35 percent to 40 percent compared to the cost of other means of transport.
The rail project will save 80 percent of travel time for transporting goods between Sohar and Abu Dhabi compared to the sea route, and up to 50 percent of the time for transporting goods via trucks.