The 238km railway will connect Sohar with the UAE network through Al Buraimi and Al Ain
Muscat: Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has ratified an agreement with the UAE to develop a railway connection between the two countries clearing another step for the $2.5 billion Hafeet Rail project as construction advances on the cross-border network.
The agreement was ratified under Royal Decree No. 75/2026, One of 10 Royal Decrees issued by Sultan Haitham on Thursday. The bilateral agreement was signed on June 21 2026. The decree took effect on September 3.
Hafeet Rail is a venture between Etihad Rail, Oman Rail and Mubadala Investment Company. The planned 238-kilometre railway will connect Sohar in Oman with the UAE’s national rail network passing through Al Buraimi and Al Ain.
The project is designed to create a rail corridor linking Sohar, a major industrial and maritime centre with the UAE’s expanding transport and logistics network. It is expected to provide businesses with another route for moving materials and finished goods between ports, industrial areas and markets.
The railway is valued at about $2.5 billion. Has secured $1.5 billion in project financing from regional and international banks.
Sohar to Abu Dhabi in 100 minutes
Passenger trains will travel at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour. Carry between 350 and 400 passengers. The journey from Sohar to Abu Dhabi is expected to take 100 minutes while Sohar to Al Ain could take around 47 minutes.
Freight will also be central to the railway’s role. Trains will operate at speeds of up to 120km/h with each capable of carrying than 15,000 tonnes of cargo equivalent to about 270 standard containers.
The network is expected to support sectors including mining, steel, petrochemicals, agriculture, food, retail and e-commerce.
Construction reaches 40 per cent
Hafeet Rail said in April that construction had reached 40 per cent with work progressing across Al Ain, Al Buraimi, Sohar and Wadi Al Jizzi.
The route crosses industrial and mountainous terrain requiring extensive excavation, bridges, tunnels and flood-protection infrastructure. Than 27 million cubic metres of earthworks had been completed by the time of the milestone.
The network will include 2.5 kilometres of tunnels along, with dozens of bridges and other major structures.
Hafeet Rail describes the project as the cross-border railway network connecting two Gulf states forming part of a wider regional transport and logistics chain.