Transport ministers to decide on GCC railway time frame

MUSCAT: Transport ministers of Oman and other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) states are scheduled to meet for preparing a time frame to complete a planned multi-billion dollar railway project across the region.

“We need to finalise a time frame for reaching an agreement on completing the project. So that all countries do their work at the same time,” said Dr Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Futaisi, minister of Transport and Communications here on Wednesday. He was responding to a question posed at a panel discussion on Oman’s economic outlook at the fifth Oman Economic Forum here on Wednesday.

Some concerns had been expressed about linking railways of different GCC states, after the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) national railway company Etihad Rail suspended the tendering process for the second stage of the project, which was supposed to link the Khalifa and Jebel Ali ports with the Saudi border at Ghweifat and the Omani border at Al Ain.

The minister said Oman will evaluate a proposal to start the Oman National Railway within the country to transport minerals from mining areas to ports, rather than connecting it to other GCC states.

However, Oman is in favour of all GCC countries working at the same time so that the railway can be connected for a panGCC network.

The GCC countries will have to unify their railway systems and technical specifications.