Signaling contract for the Hafeet Rail

On 24 April 2024 Siemens Mobility, together with its consortium partner Hassan Allam Construction (HAC), announced that it has been awarded the Abu Dhabi - Sohar Design and Build Railway Systems and Integration contract by Oman - Etihad Rail, a joint venture co-owned by the two countries to deliver this network. Siemens Mobility and Hassan Allam Construction will deliver the design, build and integration of the ETCS Level 2 signaling, telecom and power supply systems over the 303 km long Abu Dhabi - Sohar railway link. The signaling solutions are state-of-the art and desert-proof. This project marks the first-ever cross-country railway network in the Middle East and Arab world.

As part of a vision to connect the different GCC nations through a Rail Network, the project connects to and shall be fully integrated into the current and proposed Regional GCC railway network. The UAE - Oman Railway network (Hafeet Rail) will connect the port of Sohar in the Sultanate of Oman to the UAE National Railway network at Abu Dhabi, a network which connects all the seven emirates of the UAE up to the border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Through this historic project, both countries aim to ease the practice of cross-border trade and raise the efficiency of the supply chain system by linking commercial ports and economic zones to the railway network and enhancing commercial and social connectivity between the two countries. The project also aims to link industrial hubs between the two nations and enhance the effectiveness of logistical services, as well as the expansion of different industrial sectors, economic activity, and tourism.