Oman tenders nine GCC rail network freight yards

A tender has been opened in Oman for the preliminary design of nine freight yards for the first phase of the Oman National Railway network by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The nine freight yards will act as key junctions along the initial 1,061km length of the rail network which will extend from the UAE border near Sohar to Duqm, while also branching elsewhere.

The intermodal nature of the freight yards will allowing for the fluid transition of goods between the country's road, rail and maritime transportation systems across the breadth of the Sultanate.

The largest yards are planned at either end of the network, at Sohar and Duqm, as they will be designed to handle the freight volumes handled by the industrial ports at the respective locations.

Bidding for the preliminary design consulting engineer contract will close on 25 March 2013. So far as many as 20 largely international firms are preparing to bid for the crucial foot in the door role.

Further to this a tender is due to be floated later this year for a project management consulting engineer, who will then approve the preliminary designs and launch the next phase of the project.