Oman may shift its focus to building a domestic rail system rather than connecting its existing railways to a regional system, due to uncertainty about when a regional project can be implemented, transport minister Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Futaisi told Reuters.
Oman and the other GCC states have been planning to build a railway connecting the region, estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars to build 1,310 miles of track.
The project has been delayed past its original target of 2017 due to technical and bureaucratic delays, plus falling oil prices have led GCC governments to slow construction plans as they deal with budget deficits.
Last month Etihad Rail announced it was suspending plans for connecting railways inside the UAE with the borders of Saudi Arabia and Oman, casting further doubt on the project.
Futaisi told Reuters that the outlook for the regional rail project was "not clear yet," and that Etihad's plan made it difficult for Oman to finalize its own contracts.
The regional GCC rail plan envisages a railway running from Kuwait down the Gulf coast, through the UAE to Muscat, where it would connect with a connect with a domestic line running to ports.
