Etihad Rail opened ticket bookings on Monday for its new Dubai service to and from Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, which will start on Wednesday.
The online ticketing system was initially available on September 22 for passengers travelling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, before bookings were paused later that day. The booking platform has now expanded to include trains connecting Fujairah and Dubai.
Sharjah's Al Dhaid Station will also open on September 30, with fares starting from Dh19. Tickets are available online for Fujairah and Abu Dhabi stations, but Dubai is not yet included in the route.
The Dubai-Abu Dhabi service will connect Al Yalayis Station in Jumeirah Golf Estates with Mohamed Bin Zayed Station in Abu Dhabi. Tickets are priced at Dh39 ($10.60) for “comfort” class, and Dh109 for “premium”, with the journey expected to take about 64 minutes.
Passengers travelling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi will have five trains operating between the two cities, with services operating in both directions. For the September 30 opening, passengers can choose between two morning departures: 6.14am and 7.14am. In the afternoon, trains leave Al Yalayis Station at 1.14pm and 5.14pm. The last one departs for Abu Dhabi at 6.14pm.
Etihad Rail has added one train departing Fujairah Station at 11.54am for Al Yalayis Station. Outbound passengers heading to Fujairah's Madinat Al Hilal station can board a train at 1.57pm. The journey will take about 70 minutes, with fares starting at Dh29 and Dh89.
Dubai Al Yalayis Station is next to Jumeirah Golf Estates in Me'aisem First, directly opposite the Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station. It is connected to the city by the E311, E44 and D57 roads.
The new station has direct access to the existing Dubai Metro Red Line via a 400-metre-long elevated pedestrian walkway. When the Gold Metro Line opens in 2032, the stop will become an interchange between the two lines.
Sharjah's Al Dhaid Station
The rail network will connect Al Dhaid, helping transform it into a vibrant cultural destination. Etihad Rail operates two daily trains between Al Dhaid Station and Fujairah Station, departing at 6.41am and 7.51pm. The journey takes around 25 minutes. Morning fares are Dh19 for "comfort" and Dh49 for "premium". Evening fares are Dh24 for comfort and Dh79 for premium.
The journey to Abu Dhabi from Al Dhaid will take around 84 minutes and cost Dh59 for "comfort and Dh149 for "premium".
Al Dhaid Station sits on the border between Al Dhaid and Falaj Al Mualla in Umm Al Quwain. From the centre of town, the journey is about 5 km. Buses and other transport options to and from the station have not yet been announced.
The station will serve residents from many small rural towns within about 30km, making trips to other emirates easier and quicker. Al Dhaid has a population of just under 40,000, according to the 2025 Census, while nearby Al Bataeh has about 9,000 residents, and Falaj Al Mualla, Al Manama, and Mleiha each have between 5,000 and 7,000.
Etihad Rail has been expanding its passenger network in stages. Following the September 30 opening of Dubai and Al Dhaid stations, the Madinat Zayed and Liwa stations in Al Dhafra will open next, on November 30. That date was brought forward from December 30 to coincide with the region's festival season.
Al Sila, Al Dhannah and Mirfa stations – which also serve Al Dhafra – will welcome passengers from December 30. Sharjah's University City Station will be the final stop on the rail network and will open on March 30, 2027.
The UAE's passenger rail services began on June 30, with the first historic service departing from Fujairah at 5.34am for Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi and arriving at 7.19am, ushering in a new era for public transport in the country. Six passenger services operated on the first day, and more than 10,000 tickets had been sold before operations began.
