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Oman is moving ahead with the Muscat Metro project as it aims to select a consultant for the mass transit development shortly, according to a local media report.
Bids for the consultancy contract are set to be opened on February 1, 2023, Oman Daily Observer reported, citing the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT).
The consultant, who will be selected through negotiations or a direct award, will support the ministry in delivering the project.
In addition, the ministry has commissioned a study to assess the socioeconomic benefits of the project for Muscat governorate and the broader economy, the report said.
In March 2022, Ibrahim Al-Waeli, Director of strategic planning at Oman’s Housing and Urban Planning, said the metro project is part of the Sultanate’s long-term “strategic urban development plan,” which projects the country’s population at around 7.5 million in 2040, including nearly one million in the capital.
He noted that the ministry had awarded a contract to a foreign consultancy firm to carry out the structural planning study.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)
