Oman government plans mineral railway network

The government of Oman is planning a mineral railway network for the transportation of raw material for the domestic cement industry and for export.

According to media, Oman Rail, a subsidiary of Asyad Group — the government’s transportation and logistics flagship — has been assigned the task of putting together a public-private partnership (PPP) framework that will arrange the financing, execution, operation and management of this ambitious national economic initiative.

The proposed venture envisions the transportation of an estimated 30Mta of mineral commodities from massive limestone and gypsum reserves located in Wusta and Dhofar governorates to processing clusters in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Duqm or for export via Duqm Port.

Connectivity is planned from Duqm Port to Shuwaimiyah and Manji, and potentially to Thamrait — locations in Dhofar Governorate that host prolific non-metallic mineral reserves.