Etihad Rail on track for a year of milestones

It has been a busy six months for the UAE railway operator

Etihad Rail freight services are operational already. Photo: Etihad Rail

Etihad Rail has made great strides over the first six months of the year with a string of major announcements. The UAE megaproject is expected to transform trade and logistics and fundamentally reshape how people travel across the UAE and the wider region.

From the launch of UAE-wide freight services to the news that a luxury rail service is planned for the UAE, here is a recap of the milestones over the past six months and a look at what is coming down the track.

Etihad Rail’s marine bridge stretches a kilometre across the Arabian Gulf and connects the emirate's Khalifa Port to the mainland.

Abu Dhabi’s logistics gateway to the world

The National had an exclusive glimpse at the bridge in January. Built with more than 4,000 tonnes of steel and about 18,300 cubic metres of reinforced concrete, the bridge is one of the network’s most complex projects. About 320 people toiled for more than a million working hours to construct it.

“It is one of the most complex and difficult bridges we have had on the project without a doubt,” said Adriaan Wolhuter, director of engineering at Etihad Rail.

"The teams have constructed the bridge to the best international standards and this bridge will last for 120 years.”

Launch of the network and freight services

A month later Etihad Rail celebrated a major milestone by announcing the network was open and freight services had begun.

The network links all seven emirates and connects the country's major ports and logistics hubs.

Freight trains can travel up to 120kph and the fleet of 1,082 wagons can carry everything from shipping containers to construction materials.

In 2023, the freight network is expected to transport about 20 million tonnes of cargo across the UAE.

Etihad Rail has released a video underlining the vast scale of the network with the freight train passing through tunnels and bridges. For the first time in the country’s history, people can now see trains travelling across the entire country.

How the railway will cut travel times for motorists

Commuters on the UAE’s busy roads will also benefit. At the Middle East Rail conference in May, Gottfried Eymer, the new chief executive of the Etihad Rail freight network, outlined how the service would bring big social and environmental benefits.

“The benefit for people will be very good and positive,” Mr Eymer said. “Instead of 300 lorries, you have one train driver. Instead of people waiting in traffic jams, we are moving lorries to railway.

"As we are providing those services on a different network, we are delivering the streets for daily road transport.”

Arsenale's Orient Express La Dolce Vita train,which is different to the planned UAE service. Photo: Arsenale Group

Echoes of the Orient Express

Also at the Middle East Rail event, Etihad Rail and Italian luxury hospitality company Arsenale agreed to bring a luxury rail service to the country.

A launch date was not revealed but the “rail cruise” is expected to feature luxury train travel across the UAE with 15 sophisticated carriages redolent of the great railway journeys such as those on the Orient Express.

Arsenale said the carriages will reflect Emirati heritage, while the production and craftsmanship will be Italian.

What is coming down the track?

Etihad Rail is also planning to launch a passenger service. A start date has not been announced but the first passenger station is being built in Fujairah.

A deal signed between Etihad Rail and Uber in May provides a glimpse at how the service and stations will be connected to other transport options.

Etihad Rail and Uber agreed to collaborate on expanding passenger transport options and to “explore opportunities to integrate e-hailing services and assess the possibility of creating an Uber dedicated pick-up and drop-off area for passengers within stations”.

Etihad Rail already announced that the railway will be integrated in some way with existing public transport such as buses and Dubai Metro. Park-and-ride facilities are also envisaged.

Passenger trains will travel at speeds up to 200kph. Customers can expect a travel time of 50 minutes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and about 100 minutes from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, cutting commutes significantly. A future extension of the service to Oman was announced previously.

There are also big targets. It is envisaged that the passenger service will carry more than 36 million passengers by 2030 while the freight service has a goal of 60 million tonnes a year by 2030.

The Etihad Rail megaproject - in pictures

Railroad workers preparing tracks at a depot in January 2022. There has been rapid progress on a new line that will eventually carry passengers. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

The new Etihad Rail line will connect 11 cities and areas across the UAE from Al Sila in the west to Fujairah in the north.

Work on the railway at Saih Shuaib.

Etihad Rail workers on a railroad overpass along the E77 and E611 highway junction in Dubai.

The overpass view along the E77 and E611 highway junction.

Etihad Rail says stations will celebrate the joy of travelling and designs will speak to regional traditions.

Some of the new stations will be built in the cities but the locations have not been yet announced.

The Abu Dhabi to Dubai line is central to the project.

The train driver takes the diesel inspection line down the tracks.

The Abu Dhabi to Dubai section of the track runs parallel to the Emirates Road (E611) motorway.

Newly laid tracks at the Dubai South area.

Railroad workers preparing tracks.

An Etihad Rail worker on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai line.

An Etihad Rail depot at Saih Shuaib.

Passengers will also be able to use park and rides.

Passengers can expect travel time of 50 minutes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and about 100 minutes from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah.

Construction of the UAE-wide network is advancing rapidly with close to 70 per cent of the twin-track route complete.

The addition of the passenger rail service marked an important moment for Etihad Rail since its establishment in 2009.

The rail track snakes through the desert.

An Etihad Rail employee on the inspection line.

Three Etihad Rail workers take a rest, with the inspection train on right.

Stage two of the project joins Ghuweifat on the border with Saudi Arabia to Fujairah on the east coast in a line running for about 1,200km.

The passenger service is expected to carry more than 36 million passengers annually by the end of the decade.