Oman fast trains

Transport in Oman Oman has one expressway grade highway running along the Batinah Coast of the Gulf of Oman. It forks near Shinas, with one leading inland to Wadi Hatta and another to Fujairah. The speed limit is generally 120 km/h. In the Muscat area, this highway is known as Sultan Qaboos Street, and it is the trunk road running through the city. Outside the Muscat area, the interchanges take the form of roundabouts spaced approximately 7 km apart. Each roundabout contains unique features to enliven the streetscape. The roundabouts are named for driver navigation. Other roads are two lane highways in very good condition. There is ample desert scenery. The road between Diba and Al Khasab is gravel, despite what some maps may sayAs soon as 2018, travelling by train through the six Gulf countries will become a reality, as the GCC Railway project is mandated to be completed in the beginning of that year, according to Al Assar. The railway will form a link between Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait on a 2177km-long track carrying freight as well as passenger trains. Currently, the first freight trains are running on a trial basis on a 150-km route between Ruwais and Habsan in the UAE, a route which is soon to be opened as the first operative part of the railway. Etihad Railway, the authority responsible for the network in the UAE revealed earlier that it had secured the connection to Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, and that the railway would connect to neighbouring countries Saudi Arabia and Oman early-2017. In the final stage of the project the rail network in the UAE will connect to the Northern Emirates of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Possible extensions Further, possible extensions are under review as we speak. In 2010, the extension of the railway to Yemen was approved and Oman is currently looking at the options,” explained Al Assar, elaborating that the railway could be drawn to Salalah on a side track. Turkey's much-vaunted high speed rail link between the main cities of Ankara and Istanbul suffered a new setback just a week before its official opening when a train crashed in testing, media reports said Friday. High speed trains in Oman on track for 2017 The link, which will cut train journey times between the two cities to three-and-a-half-hours, is the centrepiece of a drive by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government to better exploit Turkey's under-utilised rail network. The YHT high speed train partially derailed on Thursday after colliding with a maintenance vehicle around the town of Gebze in Kocaeli province east of Istanbul, newspaper reports said. Noone was killed or injured but the front of the train suffered damage and will require repairs, the reports said. However the accident is a huge embarrassment for Turkey's TCDD rail monopoly and the government just a week before the planned official opening of the full Ankara-Istanbul line on July 11. Trains are to run at up to 250 kilometres an hour along the 500-kilometre (300-mile) line. The Turkish rail operator confirmed the accident and said the responsibility of the crash lies with the contractor whose vehicle should not have been on the rails at the time. It emphasised in a statement that the accident happened on a conventional speed test track and not a high speed line. The opening had already been put back by several months due to what officials said was ththeftoverhead cables along the line. The vast majority of Turks make long distance public journeys by bus or plane but the government wants to transform Turkey's rail network to European standards. Much of Turkey's rail network dates back to the Ottoman Empire when it was planned and laid out by foreign powers and in particular imperial Germany.High speed trains have already been running since 2009 between Ankara and Eskisehir, around halfway on the Ankara-Istanbul line. Train accidents have been frequent on Turkey's ageing railway network High speed trains in Oman on track for 2017 Muscat: A high speed railway system in Oman could be completed and ready for use as early as 2017 if everything goes according to planMuneer Bin Baqir Al Mousawi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Town Planning (SCTP), has revealed that initially the trains will run at 200 kph, but they will later be increased to a speed of 400 kph.Construction work on the project would begin in 2013, with testing and commissioning slated around the 2017 to 2018 timeframe, Al Mousawi said during a presentation at the on Wednesday.The Omani government official pointed out that the rail network will connect a number of important locations around the country and, at the same time, provide safe, efficient and cost effective Omani-Spanish Business Forum, which concluded at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel transportation, which will promote commerce and tourism. High speed trains in Oman on track for 2017 Construction work on the project would begin in 2013, with testing and commissioning slated around the 2017 to 2018 timeframe. • By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief • Published: 15:36 October 27, 1Muscat: A high speed railway system in Oman could be completed and ready for use as early as 2017 if everything goes according to plan.Muneer Bin Baqir Al Mousawi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Town Planning (SCTP), has revealed that initially the trains will run at 200 kph, but they will later be increased to a speed of 400 kph.Construction work on the project would begin in 2013, with testing and commissioning slated around the 2017 to 2018 timeframe," Al Mousawi said during a presentation at the Omani-Spanish BusinesForum, which concluded at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel on Wednesday. The Omani government official pointed out that the rail network will connect a number of important locations around the country and, at the same time, provide safe, efficient and cost effective transportation, which will promote commerce and tourism. Kuwait to Oman by train – no border posts Published Sunday, May 25, 2014 ravelling by train will be like travelling by airplane once the GCC Railway is completed and operative, said representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC he member states are cooperating and working towards open access between the countries when the anticipated railway crosses through the borders, therefore omitting the border posts, elaborated Ramiz Al Assar, World Bank resident adviser of the GCC Secretariat-General. It will be like traveling by train. If you get on board in Kuwait and get off in Oman, you will go through the border procedures in Oman,” added Ibrahim Al Sabti, Director of Transportation Department of the GCC Secretariat-General. Procedures that normally take place at the physical border will be omitted from the trip, as to guarantee a smooth travel. If the train had to stop at every border and go through the border procedures, this may take four hours every time and that is not convenient. In this way, only people getting off will go through the border procedures of a country,” explained Al Assar. The GCC representatives spoke about the rail network in length at the Arabian World Construction Summit that was held by Meed in Dubai last week. The omitting of border posts does not mean leniency in visa requirements, they informed. Passengers will have to be prepared before boarding, and have the required visa at hand, much like when travelling by train. Oman s railway project on fast track The Ministry of Transport and Communications is currently preparing an expert panel for the railway project in the Sultanate, Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi, transport ancommunications minister, has said. The expert panel, according to the minister, will comprise engineers with the required experience and technical expertise in the field of railway construction to steer a project of this size. In a statement to Oman News Agency, the minister said that the financial and technical offers from the pre-qualified companies for the tender for consultancy services for design and supervision of the railway project were recently opened. The technical and financial offers were currently being studied in cooperation with the Tender Board to award them the tender, he pointed out. He added that the Transport and Communications Ministry would offer the consultancy services documents for the tender of the management of the railway project to the pre-qualified companies. The railway project in Oman would be having the standard specifications as part of the GCC railway project, he said. Economic growth The project would boost economic growth and sustainable development on the national and regional levels and would also enhance economic integration, while facilitating trade exchange and promotion of industries. The project would serve as a new model for transportation as it would help transport large quantities of goods. While it would allow a large number of people to travel long distances in the six GCC countries, the project would also contribute to generating job opportunities for locals. The total length of the railway project in the Sultanate would be about 1,061km, extending from the line that connects the wilayat of Al Buraimi and Al Ain in the UAE to the wilayat of Sohar 136km and Sohar to Muscat Governorate 242km and from Muscat to the wilayat of A’Duqum 486 km. The minister pointed out that the railway network in the Sultanate would be connected with the UAE through border point Khatmat Milaha that connects Sohar to Fujairah (58km). To ensure better connection with airports, ports and power plants, the project would include a number of sub branches in Al Buraimi (27km), to Sohar Industrial Port (8km, the central train station in Muscat near Muscat International Airport (20km) and the wilayat of Ibra (84km). In the future, there are plans to link the project with other parts of Al A’Duqum towards Dhofar Governorate by connecting the GCC railway project to the Yemeni Republic. He also pointed out that the railway line of the Sultanate has been designed to suit passenger trains running at a speed of 200km/hr and between 80 to 120km/hour for goods train. This will be a standard specification for all GCC countries. He said the analytical studies for testing the operational energy for the trains and the ideal alternatives were currently being evaluated (either to use diesel or electricity). This is being done in view of the geographic terrains of the Sultanate with many high and low areas, especially the area from Al Buraimi to Sohar which has a one per cent slope angle. This increases the operational costs for the railway line. The use of electricity will give more propelling power to the trains, and therefore is recommended for use with trains. He pointed out that diesel would be used for an integrated operation of the GCC trains. In this connection, the ministry affirmed its keenness to achieve standardization, integration and harmony of the technical specifications of the operation of the railway network in the GCC countries. The ministry is also keen to standardise the legislations for all the projects stages which may include design, implementation, operation and maintenance to ensure safety, security and facilitate domestic, regional and international connection. He pointed out that the timetable of the project comes under an initial agreement to complete the infrastructure of the project by the end of 2017 in all GCC countries with standard specifications as per the pre agreed timetable and plan. The minister also pointed out that regular meetings of the specialized technical committees are being held to ensure constant follow up so as to expedite implementation.