27 May 2015
Muscat: Oman's ambitious railway project is moving closer to reality as the Ministry of Transport and Communications is going ahead with the plans to float and award major contracts this year.
The contract to build the first segment of the project, which will connect Al Buraimi to Sohar in a 207-kilometre (km) stretch, will be awarded in the second half of the year, said Minister of Transport and Communications Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Salim Al Futaisi.
The second segment will link Al Buraimi to Ibri, he told reporters on the sidelines of an agreement ceremony at the ministry's headquarters on Tuesday.
New tenders
It was recently reported that Oman Rail had started issuing tenders for the construction of a further 1,207km of the railway network, which will have an estimated length of 2,135km.
The new tenders are for an additional three segments of the nine-segment network.
When asked if any delay is expected in the project, the minister said, "We will see when we award the contract."
Oman-Saudi road
Asked about the road linking Oman to Saudi Arabia, Al Futaisi said that no confirmed date for the inauguration of the road has been received.
The new road inside Oman, which has been completed, is around 160km while the stretch on the Saudi side will be about 519km.
The current distance between the two countries via the United Arab Emirates is approximately 2,000km.
Commenting on the Ras al Hadd Airport, the official said that the runway is complete but the challenge in operating the airport lies in the fact that the facility is for tourism purposes and the related projects should be implemented in the area as well.
"There is supposed to be a big resort there. I think only now it has started to be realised. So, without that project and without big tourism activities, it will be difficult," he said.
In addition, Al Futaisi noted that no date has been finalised yet for the launch of Salalah Airport, but the first trial has given everybody the confidence that it can be operated without a problem.
The minister had said earlier that the airport will most likely be opened in June.
Asked about the arrest of more than 1,000 expatriate workers at the construction site of the new Muscat International Airport project, he said that people should not relate the quality of the work to this incident.
"We are giving quality very high importance, and we are checking every part of the airport, and we are not allowing anything which is not in accordance or in compliance with the standards and specifications," said Al Futaisi.
He explained that the arrested labourers were not involved in any work that would directly affect the quality of the project.
The minister also urged the companies to follow the 'right path' and not employ illegal workers as the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Manpower have been working to meet the workforce requirements of the project through the right procedure and as quickly as possible.
Additionally, Al Futaisi noted that many investors have expressed interest in introducing a budget airline and the process has started.
Muscat: Oman's ambitious railway project is moving closer to reality as the Ministry of Transport and Communications is going ahead with the plans to float and award major contracts this year.
The contract to build the first segment of the project, which will connect Al Buraimi to Sohar in a 207-kilometre (km) stretch, will be awarded in the second half of the year, said Minister of Transport and Communications Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Salim Al Futaisi.
The second segment will link Al Buraimi to Ibri, he told reporters on the sidelines of an agreement ceremony at the ministry's headquarters on Tuesday.
New tenders
It was recently reported that Oman Rail had started issuing tenders for the construction of a further 1,207km of the railway network, which will have an estimated length of 2,135km.
The new tenders are for an additional three segments of the nine-segment network.
When asked if any delay is expected in the project, the minister said, "We will see when we award the contract."
Oman-Saudi road
Asked about the road linking Oman to Saudi Arabia, Al Futaisi said that no confirmed date for the inauguration of the road has been received.
The new road inside Oman, which has been completed, is around 160km while the stretch on the Saudi side will be about 519km.
The current distance between the two countries via the United Arab Emirates is approximately 2,000km.
Commenting on the Ras al Hadd Airport, the official said that the runway is complete but the challenge in operating the airport lies in the fact that the facility is for tourism purposes and the related projects should be implemented in the area as well.
"There is supposed to be a big resort there. I think only now it has started to be realised. So, without that project and without big tourism activities, it will be difficult," he said.
In addition, Al Futaisi noted that no date has been finalised yet for the launch of Salalah Airport, but the first trial has given everybody the confidence that it can be operated without a problem.
The minister had said earlier that the airport will most likely be opened in June.
Asked about the arrest of more than 1,000 expatriate workers at the construction site of the new Muscat International Airport project, he said that people should not relate the quality of the work to this incident.
"We are giving quality very high importance, and we are checking every part of the airport, and we are not allowing anything which is not in accordance or in compliance with the standards and specifications," said Al Futaisi.
He explained that the arrested labourers were not involved in any work that would directly affect the quality of the project.
The minister also urged the companies to follow the 'right path' and not employ illegal workers as the Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ministry of Manpower have been working to meet the workforce requirements of the project through the right procedure and as quickly as possible.
Additionally, Al Futaisi noted that many investors have expressed interest in introducing a budget airline and the process has started.
© Times of Oman 2015
