Oman Rail

Oman Rail is a state-owned railway company, responsible for rail transport in Oman. It is owned and operated by the Government of Oman through the Ministry of Transport and Communications.[1] The company was founded in June 2014.[2] The company is based in Al Qurum, Muscat.[3]

History

Oman does not currently have any rail infrastructure. Oman Rail will be responsible for developing the rail network in the country. Currently Oman Rail intends to link Buraimi on the UAE border with Sohar, as part of the proposed Gulf Railway. The proposed line will be a 207 km, double-track, standard-gauge line with 32.4 km axle loads and a loading gauge sufficient to accommodate double-stack container trains. The line will use ERTMS Level 2. Diesel locomotives will run on the line initially, but the plans will provide an option for future electrification.[2]

The next phase of Oman's railway project will be built in two stages. First, a 11 km (6.8 mi) section will connect the previous line from Hafeet to Ibri. This will be then be extended by 126 km from Ibri to the new economic zone that is proposed to be built. Future plans include extending the network beyond Al Dhahirah, traversing vast expanses of desert in central Oman via Ghabah to Haima, with a southward branch to Al Duqm (and later to Mazyounah on the Yemeni border), and with another branch to Salalah. The final phase of the rail network envisions a south-north line Amal via Al Duqm to Muscat and Sohar.[2]

Passenger will trains will operate on the network at speeds of 220 km/h, while freight trains will be limited to a speed of 120 km/h.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Oman's rail strategy gathers steam". Oxford Business Group. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Smith, Kevin. "2015: a key year for Oman Rail". International Rail Journal. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Cotact Us". Oman Rail. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Project". Oman Rail. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.