How Etihad Rail is expected to transform Sharjah

Trains will improve access to emirate's University City, cut carbon emissions on roads and strengthen communities, experts say

Experts say that Etihad Rail passenger services will bring many benefits to Sharjah. Wam

The opening of an Etihad Rail passenger station in Sharjah is set to transform the emirate and “spark development”, experts said.

It will improve the lives of students, may boost university and college enrolment, lift property prices and improve access to the growing Sharjah International Airport, they said.

It could also bring relief to commuters with the main roads between Dubai and Sharjah increasingly congested as the UAE's population rises. Dubai's population is expected to soon grow to four million residents, while Sharjah's population is about 1.8 million people, according to the 2022 census.

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The National spoke to experts in several fields – from education to transport – to assess the effect the Sharjah line might have.

“Smooth and frictionless travel can now happen throughout the day with more reliable travel times, particularly important for lesson times and departing flights,” said UAE-based transport expert Martin Tillman, regarding the Sharjah station.

“There are also other advantages such as streamlining inter-emirate connectivity through integration of the station with the wider Sharjah transport network, reducing road traffic accidents as more trips are made by rail and helping to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions,” added Mr Tillman, who is the founder of transport consultancy TMP Consult.

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Plans for a station in Sharjah were announced in 2024. While Etihad Rail has not revealed the precise location of the Sharjah stop, it was also announced then that it will be close to University City – home to scores of educational institutions – and near the emirate’s busy airport.

It comes as anticipation continues to grow for the launch of Etihad Rail’s regular passenger services next year.

Four passenger stations have been announced so far – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah – but it is still not clear what routes will open first.

Last month, authorities in Sharjah closed a major commuter link – the route connecting Mleiha Road and Sharjah Ring Road, near University Bridge – until August 30 to allow for Etihad Rail construction work to take place.

The Sharjah station will be connected by a spur to the main UAE-wide railway.

Access to a crucial regional educational cluster

Senthil Nathan, education expert and managing director and co-founder of Edu Alliance, said affordable and efficient access to university by trains had many benefits.

“For the students and staff to get through the road traffic in bus or car could involve delays,” said Dr Nathan, also former deputy vice-chancellor of Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi.

“Parking within university campuses is also a challenge if everyone depends on cars.”

American University of Sharjah is located in University City. Wam

The station is designed to provide easy access to University City. Established in the 1990s, the sprawling neighbourhood is home to scores of academic and research institutes, including American University of Sharjah – consistently ranked among the top 10 Arab universities – and University of Sharjah, the country’s largest university in terms of enrolment.

Dr Nathan said it was a crucial regional educational cluster with tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff there.

“It is truly one of a kind not only in this region but it is also renowned globally for its architecture and an integrated campus of a cluster of universities and colleges,” said Dr Nathan.

He pointed to a recent study in the UK by regional transport body, Midlands Connect, that showed how better rail links between the English cities of Nottingham, Leicester and Coventry could bolster access and achievement in higher education.

“The rail corridor between Coventry, Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham is home to a significant number of world-class academic institutions,” said Dr Nathan,

“The connectivity between them has a substantial impact on many facets of their operation, from attracting students to retaining staff and enhancing research opportunities.”

Etihad Rail previously said trains will travel at up to 200kph and can carry about 400 passengers. A travel time between Abu Dhabi and Dubai will take 57 minutes, it said, with other times, including to Sharjah, to be announced. When the Sharjah station was announced, authorities said it would boost passenger flow notably among university students from across the emirates.

Marcus Enoch, professor in transport strategy at Loughborough University in the UK, said that railways tended to work best when, like the new line, they connected “big transport generators” such as universities and airports along with large commercial centres, major central business districts and even large retail outlets.

Sharjah International Airport for example, is growing fast with 17.1 million passengers travelling through last year – up 11.4 per cent on 2023.

“The challenge is you have got these developments that attract trips [and] then you have got to somehow make sure there's a way to get people from where they live. Maybe [you connect to] higher density settlements where people live,” he said.

A model released by Etihad Rail showing what a real passenger station might look like. Victor Besa / The National

Prof Enoch, who is the author of Roads Not Yet Travelled: Transport Futures For 2050, said there were “really high fixed costs” with railways.

“You have got to have quite a high level of demand in the first place to justify the capital costs,” he said.

The line improving Sharjah's links to the Etihad Rail network would, he said, “definitely” spark development in the emirate.

“If you put in a railway, typically your land value goes up – that's because of improved accessibility. People are prepared to move there because they can get to where they need to go to.”

He said this pattern of railways stimulating development had been seen in numerous cities, including London, where it sparked the transformation of the derelict Docklands area in the east of the city, and Copenhagen, where it helped to spur the development of Orestad, a former military site.

“Trains are recognised as having that capability, that potential, for stimulating development,” he said.

Meanwhile, UAE residents are awaiting a formal launch date for the start of passenger services next year. A separate high-speed rail between Abu Dhabi and Dubai was announced in January. A launch date for this service has not been announced yet.