On February 23, the UAE began operating its national railroad system, beginning the operation of freight trains throughout the UAE.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai inaugurated the network and hailed it as an ambitious initiative that will help the UAE better prepare for the future and mark an important turning point in its development.
The main highlights of this project are broken down in the following list.
. In order to connect 4 major ports and 7 logistical districts and move 60 million tonnes of cargo each year, the #UAE unveiled its national railway network. This new infrastructure will drive us towards a better future and is a crucial enabler of our economy.
What is the freight train network?
The cargo network will link four significant ports, including Musaffah, Khalifa Port, Jebel Ali, and Ghuwaifat, on the way to Fujairah. Also, it will link seven logistics hubs, moving 60 million tonnes of cargo per year.
Ruwais, Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), Khalifa Port, Dubai Industrial City, Jebel Ali Port, Al Ghail, and Fujairah Port are only a few of the locations where charging stations are located in the network. Due to the presence of customs warehouses and on-site cargo inspection services, these facilities serve as a vital centre for local and regional distribution and logistics services.
What’s coming: The UAE’s national railway network
The engineering plan for the UAE national railway network calls for the building of 593 bridges and crossings of all kinds, nine tunnels, and a total of 6.5 km in length.
This network is anticipated to aid the UAE’s efforts to protect the environment and reach carbon neutrality over the course of the next 50 years by cutting carbon emissions by 70 to 80%.
Three major projects are part of the UAE Railway Project; the first is the Freight Rail project, which includes the Etihad Rail freight services.
The Passenger Rail project is the second initiative that intends to link 11 cities in the United Arab Emirates, from Al Sila to Fujairah. The passenger train service will enable passengers to travel from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes and from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes at a speed of 200 km/h. Dates will be made known later.
Passengers are anticipated to surpass 36.5 million yearly by the year 2030.
The third project is the Integrated Transportation Service, where a centre for innovation will be set up to make sure that smart transportation solutions are integrated and that integrated logistics solutions are provided. To make travel inside UAE cities easier, a network of light rail will be connected to the Rail Passenger System.
It will also be possible to organise and schedule journeys, connect logistics operations, port and customs services, and provide integrated logistics solutions with the help of smart applications and solutions.
Oman-Etihad Rail Company
In September of last year, Etihad Rail and Oman Rail also agreed to form the Oman-Etihad Rail Company and build a 303-km railway link between Sohar and Abu Dhabi, cutting the distance between the two cities’ travel times to one hour and forty minutes and to 47 minutes, respectively, while allowing for a top speed of 200 km/h.
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