Oman Rail Company (Oman Rail) has received offers for the multi-functional consultancy services contract on its national railway scheme.

Firms that are confirmed to have submitted an offer include:

• Aecom (US)
• Atkins (UK)
• Italferr / Italian Railway State Company Group (Italy)
• Parsons (US)

An estimated 25 consultancy companies attended the pre-tender meeting, MEED has been told.

The scope of the consultancy sought include:

• Operation and maintenance
• Infrastructure
• Rolling stock
• Management
• Railway facilities
• Mass transit system
• Auxiliary services (ports and mines)

“I think the selected contractor will pick up from the previous feasibility study and design work that have been done for the national railway project and introduce revisions to suit the new strategy to build a domestic rail network,” a source familiar with the transaction tells MEED.

The scope is understood to include a study for the planned 605km mineral rail line, which will carry heavy freight from three locations in Oman’s Dhofar governorate to a central location, which will then link to a separate rail line that runs to Duqm Port, from where the mineral cargoes will be exported to international markets.

Italy’s Italferr won a $37m contract for the preliminary design of the $15.6bn Oman national railway project in 2013. The project was completed in April.