The Transport & Communications Ministry has retendered the contract to design the national railway project.

Firms have been invited to bid by 5 December for the contract that also covers the supervision of construction. Documents have been collected from 10 firms so far. They are:

• China Railway (China)
• Cowi & Partners (Denmark)/Aecom (US)/Deutsche Bahn (Germany)
• Egis Rail (France)
• ILF Consulting Engineering (Austria)
• Italferr (Italy)/WorleyParsons (Australia)
• Korea Rail (South Korea)/Hyundai (South Korea)
• Mott MacDonald (UK)
• Parsons International (US)
• Prointec (Spain)
• Systra (France)

The contract was tendered last year and five firms submitted bids in December. The Cowi/Aecom/Deutsche Bahn consortium submitted the lowest price of RO44.4m ($115.5m). UK-based Mott Mcdonald & Company submitted the second-lowest price of RO64.5m. The other bidders were Systra, Prointec, and Korea Rail/Hyundai.

Progress on Oman’s railway scheme has been slow. Companies submitted prequalification documents for the design package in May 2010, but the scheme was delayed following protests in the Sultanate in early 2011.

As part of reforms that followed the civil unrest, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said sacked the National Economy minister Ahmed Macki, who was also the chairman of the railway executive board.

The Omani railway project is due to be constructed in three phases. The first phase will comprise a 230-kilometre line that runs from Sohar to Muscat. The second phase will be a 560km line running from Muscat to Duqm. Oman may then choose to extend the railway line to Salalah, which would involve building a 580km track.

Systra and the local National Engineering Office carried out the feasibility study for the railway scheme.