A TOTAL of 18 consortiums have been pre-qualified for civil works and another five consortiums for other works for the 2,244-km-long Oman national railway project.

The Oman Railway Company (ORC) has received 34 quotations from 95 local and international companies for prequalification for a design-and-build civil infrastructure and railway track contract, while nine pre-qualification quotations have been submitted by 14 local and international firms for technology systems for the national railway project, said a report in the Times of Oman.

Construction work on the railway project is expected to start by the first quarter of 2015, after selecting a design-and-build contractor for the first segment. The railway is expected to be operational by 2018.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has already signed three contracts for expediting the work on the project, including one with Italy-based engineering firm Italferr which provide consultancy services for preliminary route design.

Another major consultant for managing the project will be selected soon from amongst three multinational firms – TecnicasReunidas, Dohwa Engineering and Parsons International.

The project is divided into nine segments including Duqm-Thumrait-Salalah, Sohar Port-Muscat, Al Misfah-Sinaw, Thumrait-Al Mayzouna and Sohar Port-Khatmat Malalah. The 170 km-long Sohar-Buraimi route will be the first segment to be completed.

The entire network will feature 30 small stations, 10 interim stations, six large stations and eight marshalling yards.