This initiative would enhance ties between the UAE and Oman, provide new cross-border trade opportunities, and offer a safe, speedy, and sustainable means of transportation for passengers and goods. Mubadala is investing $3 billion to establish a rail network linking the UAE to Oman and signed an agreement with Oman Rail and the Etihad Rail Company to develop the 303 kilometers rail route. However, the completion date of the project has yet to be announced.

The project, announced last September, will serve freight and passenger trains. The journey time between Abu Dhabi and Sohar, located north of Muscat, will be cut to just 100 minutes, and the time it takes to travel between Sohar and Al Ain will be reduced to 47 minutes. 

Additionally, the transport link will connect the existing UAE freight services line to Sohar’s deep-sea port. The partnership with Mubadala involves the creation of working groups and joint committees to share knowledge and expertise, carry out feasibility studies, and collaborate on the development of the network. 

Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and the chairman of Oman and Etihad Rail Company, stated that the project would transform the logistics, infrastructure, and transportation sectors, connect economic, commercial, industrial, and residential centers through the railway network, and promote social cohesion. 

According to the minister, the signing of the cooperation agreement indicates both parties’ commitment to building strategic partnerships that advance investment, economic growth, and comprehensive development in both countries.