en.Wedoany.com Reported - Wedoany News, Sohar is an important port city in northern Oman, where giant cargo ships docked at the berths add a strong industrial atmosphere to the city. Soon, it will become the first city in Oman to have a railway. The construction progress of the Sohar freight station project of the Hafeet Railway, co-built by PowerChina, is already more than halfway complete. The reporter observed here that earthwork for the railway tracks and container yard is proceeding in an orderly manner, while supporting facilities such as the vehicle emergency repair and maintenance workshop are also being accelerated.
Project manager Shama, from the Omani border town of Buraimi, joined the PowerChina team shortly after graduation to participate in the Hafeet Railway construction project. "I am very proud to be involved in building Oman's first railway," Shama said. "With the help of our Chinese friends, our railway dream is about to become a reality."
At the end of 2024, the construction of the Hafeet Railway, named after the border mountain between the UAE and Oman, officially commenced. This 238-kilometer railway line starts from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, passes through the UAE border city of Al Ain to reach Buraimi on the Omani side, and then extends to Sohar. As the first cross-border railway in the Gulf region, the project will significantly enhance logistics efficiency in the Gulf area and promote regional economic integration upon completion.
As the project contractor, PowerChina is accelerating railway construction with a range of new technologies and processes. Project Chief Engineer You Hongbo introduced that during the construction of the container yard, the construction team applied new concrete materials for the first time in Oman. The team adjusted the concrete mix ratio based on local soil conditions, achieving the same structural strength while reducing consumption of steel bars and cement, as well as the volume of excavated soil transported away, thereby achieving low carbon and emission reduction. The project also introduced a CNC underfloor wheel lathe manufactured in China into the Hafeet Railway's vehicle maintenance workshop, ensuring safe operation after the railway opens.
In addition to Shama, nine other Omani university graduates are working on the project. Lin Lingqiang, Project Manager of PowerChina's Hafeet Rail Freight Facilities Project Department, stated that the company will help cultivate a group of management talents in railway construction technology, quality, and safety in Oman through a talent development plan. Shama said her Chinese colleagues are both good teachers and helpful friends, and the railway project work has provided her with a broader platform for future career development. "Experiencing high-speed rail in China is my wish. I hope to use what I have learned to build more railways in Oman and contribute to Oman-China cooperation benefiting local economic development," Shama said with anticipation.
