A new railway in the Gulf will be built by a consortium made up of German rail signalling and rolling stock manufacturer Siemens Mobility and its local partner Hassan Allam Construction, according to a new contract.
Oman – Etihad Rail is a joint venture owned by the governments of Oman and the United Arab Emirates, tasked with delivering the East-West rail project from Abu Dhabi to Sohar.
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The 303km line is part of a wider project to connect the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The Siemens Mobility and Hassan Allam Construction consortium will deliver the design, build and integration of the ETCS Level 2 signaling, telecom and power supply systems for the first line of the network project.
Otherwise known as Hafeet Rail, the line will connect the Omani port city Sohar with the UAE National Railway network, which already connects the seven emirates that make up the UAE.
Although increased tourism is a goal of the project, the highest priority of the new link is trade and to “raise the efficiency of the supply chain system”.
Ayman Ashour, CEO of Siemens Mobility in the UAE said: “We are deeply honoured and proud to have been entrusted by Oman – Etihad Rail with this strategic project that will not only contribute to the social and economic furtherment of both countries, but which I believe will be a ground-breaking project for the entire region.”
Hassan Allam, the Chairman of Hassan Allam Construction added: “We are proud to join Siemens Mobility in delivering the advanced signaling solutions that will ensure the safe and seamless transportation of passengers and goods between UAE and Oman.
“Hassan Allam Construction and Siemens have a long-standing record of successful collaboration in Egypt, and we are honoured to extend this partnership in other important regional countries like UAE and Oman.”
