<p data-path-to-node="4" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="4" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">ABU DHABI / SOHAR —</b> In a transformative milestone for Middle Eastern transport connectivity, Hafeet Rail—the joint venture between Etihad Rail, Oman Rail (Asyad Group), and Mubadala Investment Company—has officially commenced scheduled commercial freight operations along the 238-kilometer cross-border rail corridor connecting Abu Dhabi in the UAE directly to the Port of Sohar in Oman.</p><p data-path-to-node="5" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Representing the first operational cross-border link of the long-envisioned Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Railway network, the $2.5 billion infrastructure corridor provides a heavy-haul, low-emission land bridge that eliminates multi-day trucking delays and bypasses regional maritime choke points.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="7" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Heavy-Haul Freight Architecture and Operational Metrics</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="8" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">The newly commissioned rail link establishes an unprecedented cargo transfer capability between the industrial hubs of the United Arab Emirates and the deepwater maritime gateway of Sohar:</p><ul data-path-to-node="9" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,0,0" id="p-rc_20a0d50d8a0a70fa-403" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Payload &amp; Train Capacity:</b><span class="citation-698" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Heavy-duty diesel-electric locomotives operate freight services at speeds up to 120 km/h, with each single freight rake capable of hauling over </span><b data-path-to-node="9,0,0" data-index-in-node="170" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">15,000 tonnes of bulk goods</b><span class="citation-698" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> or up to </span><b data-path-to-node="9,0,0" data-index-in-node="207" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">270 standard containers (TEUs)</b><span class="citation-698 citation-end-698" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">—equivalent to replacing approximately 300 heavy road trucks per journey.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="2" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,1,0" id="p-rc_20a0d50d8a0a70fa-404" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-697" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></span><b data-path-to-node="9,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Transit Velocity:</b><span class="citation-697" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Point-to-point transit time between industrial clusters in Abu Dhabi/Al Ain and Sohar Port has been compressed to just </span><b data-path-to-node="9,1,0" data-index-in-node="137" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">100 minutes</b><span class="citation-697 citation-end-697" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">, slashing regional cargo movement times by more than 65% compared to conventional road transport.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="3" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Engineering Resilience:</b> Built through complex desert terrain and the Hajar mountain range, the route incorporates 2.5 km of mountain tunnels, 36 viaducts, 60 bridge crossings reaching heights of up to 34 meters, and advanced desert-proof European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 digital signaling.</p></li></ul><h3 data-path-to-node="11" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Strategic Integration Across Industrial Sectors</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="12" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Commercial freight paths have been initially chartered to serve major industrial conglomerates across both nations:</p><ol start="1" data-path-to-node="13" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="13,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="13,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Metals &amp; Mining:</b> Bulk transit of iron ore, DRI pellets, and finished steel products between Emirates Steel Arkan and industrial smelting plants located inside the Sohar Freezone.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="13,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="13,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Petrochemicals &amp; Liquid Bulk:</b> Safe, sealed rail wagon transportation of polymers, specialty chemicals, and refined liquid fuels from UAE industrial zones directly to Oman’s deepwater export jetties.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="13,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="13,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Retail, Agri-Food &amp; E-Commerce:</b> Rapid multimodal container shunting connecting major inland container depots (ICDs) and logistics parks, ensuring next-day cross-border inventory replenishments for consumer retail.</p></li></ol><h3 data-path-to-node="15" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Transforming GCC Trade and Supply Chain Resilience</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="16" id="p-rc_20a0d50d8a0a70fa-405" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-696 citation-end-696" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The commercial activation of Hafeet Rail directly reinforces regional supply chain security by connecting Sohar Port—positioned directly on the Sea of Oman outside the Strait of Hormuz—with the UAE's National Rail Network and major seaports including Khalifa Port, Jebel Ali, and Fujairah.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="4" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="17" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Logistics leadership across the GCC emphasized that the operational railway reduces cross-border logistics costs by up to 25% while removing hundreds of thousands of heavy truck movements annually, cutting regional transport-sector carbon emissions and cementing the Arabian Peninsula’s role as an agile global trade hub.</p>