First glimpse of Etihad Rail's new 600-metre bridge

Striking structure in Fujairah will act as the gateway to the east coast

Construction is under way on the Etihad Rail bridge. This is part of the Etihad Rail development, a passenger and freight train project that will link all seven emirates in the UAE. All photos: Etihad Rail

The bridge is located in Al Bithnah, Fujairah. Etihad Rail said it will act as the rail gateway to the UAE’s east coast and facilitate trade to and from Fujairah.

It passes through the Hajar Mountains and is 600 metres long. Construction for the Northern Emirates network involves building 54 bridges and nine tunnels across the mountains.

Workers on the site in Fujairah. The passenger trains will travel at up to 200 kilometres per hour, each carrying about 400 people.

The bridge will afford passengers a beautiful backdrop of mountains in the distance.

Heavy machinery on site. The complete network will measure about 1,200km.

The eagerly awaited rail service, which will take people from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in about an hour, is taking shape.

The Fujairah construction work (pictured) comes after the Abu Dhabi to Dubai stretch of the project was completed in March 2022.

The passenger and freight service, which does not yet have a completion date, is expected to carry more than 36 million passengers a year by 2030.

Etihad Rail has released striking footage showing the construction of the UAE's highest railway bridge in Fujairah.

The video, posted to its social media, shows work well under way on the 600-metre bridge in Al Bithnah.

The bridge passes through the Hajar Mountains, with towns and farms visible in the background.

Workers are seen clearing a path for the line, assembling the concrete support pillars for the bridge and laying down the track.

In railway terminology, it is known as an "underbridge", meaning it can only be used for trains.

Etihad Rail said the bridge will act as the rail gateway to the UAE’s east coast and enable trade to and from Fujairah.

Construction for the Northern Emirates network involves building 54 bridges and nine tunnels across the Hajar Mountains. The network extends more than 145 kilometres through the emirates of Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, Etihad Rail said.

A freight service linking the gasfields at Shah and Habshan to Ruwais in Al Dhafrah opened in 2016, while a freight and passenger network will extend across the UAE, from the border of Saudi Arabia to the border of Oman.

UAE rail map. Photo: Etihad Rail

Etihad Rail in January also released the first images of what the passenger trains will look like when the service is launched.

News of the bridge comes as thousands of visitors are set to descend on Abu Dhabi next week for a major rail conference.

Middle East Rail, which is being hosted by Etihad Rail, is expected to draw 6,000 visitors, more than 200 speakers and 250 exhibitors.

The two-day event starts on Tuesday, with the conference set to shape the future of rail in the region.