The UAE has announced the launch of a national rail network. The network will connect four ports in the UAE, as well as logistics hubs.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, witnessed the inauguration of the network at the main centre for control and maintenance in Al Fayah, Abu Dhabi. Taking to Twitter, he posted a series of photos, one of which showed him inside a train along with other Sheikhs and leaders.
Etihad Rail is the developer and operator of the UAE’s National Railway Network
The 900km pan-UAE network has been completed according to the approved schedule and budget, with cargo train operations launched across the Emirates. The freight trains are powered by a fleet of 38 locomotives and more than 1,000 wagons capable of transporting all types of goods. The network will contribute to supporting the national economy with an estimated value of Dh200 billion. It will help save Dh8 billion in road maintenance costs. The network’s tourism benefits are estimated at Dh23 billion.
One of the largest infrastructure projects in the region, the main line of the UAE National Railway Network extends from Ghuwaifat on the border of Saudi Arabia to Fujairah. It passes through several geographical terrains, with its engineering plan including the construction of 593 bridges and crossings, and nine tunnels with a length of 6.5 kms. It took 120-million cubic metres of excavation work to complete.
Earlier this week, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala and the Oman Etihad Rail Company signed an agreement to develop a $3 billion transport network between the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The 303-kilometer railway network, which connects Oman and the United Arab Emirates, will include passenger trains running at up to 200 km per hour, reducing the time of the journey between Sohar and Abu Dhabi to 100 minutes and between Sohar and Al Ain to 47 minutes.
