Muscat – Oman and Saudi Arabia are studying the prospect of constructing a railway line connecting Duqm and Riyadh, according to the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT).

In an interview with a local radio station, H E Khamis bin Mohammed al Shamakhi, Undersecretary for Transport in MTCIT, said, “Oman and Saudi Arabia are studying the construction of a railway line to link the wilayat of Duqm to Riyadh through the border crossing in Ibri.”

He informed that there has been positive feedback on the project from both countries.

According to H E Shamakhi, railway projects are expensive and a great challenge requiring detailed and elaborate studies before implementation. “The establishment of such a railway line will be useful for transporting goods and stimulating commercial movement, not passenger transport.”

In April 2022, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MHUP) announced a plan to compensate citizens affected by a railway construction project in Buraimi governorate.

Part of the Oman-UAE Rail Network, the Sohar-Buraimi railway line was among the first to be announced in 2014, when Oman Railway Company launched a pre-qualification tender for implementation of the 207km Sohar-Buraimi line, which is the first segment of Oman’s national rail network.

MHUP issued a notice for property owners affected by the railway project in the wilayats of Buraimi. It said, ‘Citizens whose properties are affected should bring their original passport and title deed of the property to the ministry on official working days.’