Abu Dhabi’s Noatum Logistics has signed a preliminary agreement with Hafeet Rail to create a new cross-border rail service between Sohar in Oman and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
Noatum Logistics, part of Abu Dhabi Ports Group, will operate the service using Hafeet Rail’s network once construction is completed. Hafeet Rail is developing and will manage the first rail link between the two countries.
The agreement was signed at the Global Rail 2025 exhibition in Abu Dhabi. It outlines plans for a daily service consisting of seven container trains per week, each capable of carrying 276 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). This equals an annual capacity of about 193,200 TEUs.
The service will handle 20-foot, 40-foot and 45-foot containers, transporting goods such as general cargo, manufactured products, food, pharmaceuticals, agrifoods and other essential supplies between Oman and the UAE.
Rail freight offers advantages over road transport for large volumes, including lower operating costs, more reliable scheduling and reduced fuel consumption, which helps cut carbon emissions per tonne.
The planned Sohar–Abu Dhabi service will expand Noatum’s rail operations, following its 2024 launch of a shuttle line connecting Khalifa Port and Fujairah Terminals.