A tender has been opened in Oman for the preliminary design of nine freight yards for the first phase of the Oman National Railway network by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The nine freight yards will act as key junctions along the initial 1,061km length of the rail network which will extend from the UAE border near Sohar to Duqm, while also branching elsewhere.

The intermodal nature of the freight yards will allowing for the fluid transition of goods between the country`s road, rail and maritime transportation systems across the breadth of the Sultanate.

The largest yards are planned at either end of the network, at Sohar and Duqm, as they will be designed to handle the freight volumes handled by the industrial ports at the respective locations.