Tunnelling works have commenced for the Oman-UAE Joint Railway Network.
Hafeet Rail, the project’s developer and operator, announced yesterday that drilling and blasting work is under way on the tunnel portals in the Al-Hajar Mountains in the governorate of Al-Buraimi.
Earlier this month, Hafeet Rail received the first delivery of tracks at Oman’s Sohar Port. At the same time, the project is progressing with earthworks and the construction of other key infrastructure, including 881 culverts and 57 bridges, some of which are up to 34m high.
The US$3bn project will connect Sohar Port to the UAE national rail network. The 238km-long route will include 2.5km of tunnels.
Passenger trains will travel at a maximum speed of 200km/h to provide journey times from Sohar to Abu Dhabi of 1 hour 40 minutes, and 47 minutes from Sohar to Al Ain. Freight trains will travel at up to 120km/h.
