Etihad Rail offers first glimpse of Dubai's Al Qudra Bridge

Striking structure another sign of progress on UAE-wide passenger train service

The bridge passes over Al Qudra Road where it meets Emirates Road. Photo: Etihad Rail

Etihad Rail has released photographs of a striking new bridge in Dubai's Al Qudra.

It is the longest rail bridge on Dubai's mainline network, Etihad Rail said, in a post on its social media channels.

Pictures released by the railway operator showed work on the bridge, which passes over Al Qudra Road where it meets Emirates Road, edging close to completion.

The network cuts through Dubai running past Al Maktoum Airport, close to Expo City Dubai and then north to Sharjah.

“Based in the Emirate of Dubai, our Al Qudra bridge is the longest rail bridge within the emirate’s mainline network, forming a vital route for trade and commerce which positively contributes to the movement of goods throughout the UAE,” Etihad Rail said.

Construction of the 1,200km network is about 75 per cent complete.

Stage one of the project, a freight service in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region, opened in 2016. It carries sulphur from two gasfields to Ruwais.

Construction of stage two, a freight and passenger service that will run across the country from the UAE border with Saudi Arabia to the frontier with Oman, began in 2020.

A launch date for this stage of the service is yet to be announced.

In the first week of January, the developer showed the network's first marine bridge, stretching a kilometre across the Arabian Gulf and connecting Abu Dhabi’s sprawling Khalifa Port to the emirate's mainland.

Freight trains will run on the line, allowing goods shipped to Khalifa Port to be carried swiftly and efficiently across the country.

Once operational, Etihad Rail say a fully loaded freight train that passes over the bridge can take up to 300 lorries off the UAE’s roads.

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