The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning underlined the importance given to key development projects, which will give a boost to tourism, trade, and economic growth.
The key infrastructure project of the railway got a boost during the announcement made at 'Towards Thriving Communities' during the third media briefing of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning in Muscat on Monday.
The ministry said that it would compensate 521 affected cases affected by North Al Batinah and Al Buraimi within six months as part of the activities involving the Oman Railway project as per mechanisms approved by the government.
It may be noted that the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates have signed an agreement in the field of cooperation between Oman Railways and Etihad Rail.
With investments amounting to about RO1.160 billion ($3 billion), Oman Rail and Etihad Rail will establish a joint company to implement and operate a 303 kilometres railway network linking Sohar Port with the UAE national railway network.
The passenger train will travel at 200 kilometres per hour to cover the distance between Suhar and Abu Dhabi in 100 minutes and 47 minutes between Suhar and Al Ain, while the speed of freight trains will have a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour.
The trains will have a capacity to ferry 12,000 passengers per day and 250,000 containers at the start of the line's operation.
Al Jabal Al Akhdhar connectivity.
It was also revealed that two sites had been identified for alternative roads to reach Al Jabal Al Akhdhar project from South Al Batinah – of the two probable routes, one will be from Wadi Mistel on the Nakhal – Al Rustaq road and the second from Wadi Bani Kharous in the Wilayat of Al Awabi.
" Al Jabal Al Akhdhar has so much potential. Presently, there is only one road to reach Al Jabal Al Akhdhar which is hard to navigate for smaller cars. So, the ministry is looking into one or two alternatives where even smaller cars could travel with ease," a top official at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT) told the Observer.
The ministry will also seek to complete the process of handing over the cash compensation to those affected by the Al Batinah coastal project this year.
The government also unveiled plans to establish sustainable future cities in Salalah, Nizwa, Suhar, and Muscat, on an area of 5 million square meters, including 10,000 to 30,000 housing units and accommodating 50,000 to 130,000 people.
It was said that the time frame to complete the Greater Muscat plan is 12 months, and work will continue for another six months.
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