Hafeet Rail, a joint venture between Etihad Rail, Oman Rail and Mubadala Investment Company, announced that the Oman-UAE rail connection project has reached 40 percent completion.

Construction of the $2.5 billion cross-border scheme is progressing across key locations including Al Ain Region, Al Buraimi, Sohar, and Wadi Al Jizzi, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a press statement.

The 238-kilometre route crosses urban zones, industrial areas, mountains and deep wadis, requiring bridges, tunnels, excavation works and flood protection systems.

Construction progress

Hafeet Rail said works completed or underway to date include:

  • More than 27 million cubic metres of earthworks
  • Over 100,000 cubic metres of concrete works
  • 900 concrete piles executed
  • 130 box culverts completed or under way
  • 80 structures under construction

Tunnel excavation has also reached a key milestone, the company said.

Works are continuing on associated facilities in Sohar and Al Buraimi to support future freight connectivity with ports, industrial zones and logistics hubs.

The design and build contracts for Sohar and Al Buarimi facilities were awarded to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Power China in February 2025.  

Abdulrahman Al Hatmi, CEO of Asyad Group, one the Omani partners of Hafeet Rail, said the pace of implementation reflects the shared commitment to launching the project and delivering passenger and freight services according to schedule.

Chief Executive Officer Ahmed AlMusawa AlHashemi added that the project has recorded 10 million safe man-hours without major injuries.

The project is expected to deploy 33,100 metric tonnes of railway tracks.

China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) is supplying the freight wagons while US-based Progress Rail, a subsidiary of Caterpillar, was contracted to supply the freight locomotives.

The company said the project is also designed to support future passenger rail services, boosting tourism, business travel and social connectivity between Oman and the UAE.

(Writing by Dennis Daniel; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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