Etihad Rail has announced the completion of the UAE national rail network, an ambitious project spanning 900 km which will link the seven emirates with its primary railway. The main line extends from Ghuweifat on Saudi border to the northern emirate of Fujairah.
The inauguration of the national railway network was witnessed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the network’s main centre for control and maintenance in Al Fayah, Abu Dhabi.
Lauding the key achievement, Sheikh Mohammed said the national railway network was an important milestone in the UAE's development journey, and an ambitious project that contributes to strengthening the country’s preparations for the future.
"We are proud of the performance of our sons and daughters who have worked hard over the years to build an ambitious strategic project that will propel our national economy to greater heights. Connecting the Emirates via a national railway network strengthens our capabilities and competitiveness, and consolidates our unity," remarked Sheikh Mohammed.
The ambitious development project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the region and aims to link the seven emirates with a main railway network.
While the cargo train operations across all the emirates have been launched fully, passengers wanting to ride the railway will still have to wait for some more time, stated Etihad Rail.
Announcing the milestone, Etihad Rail Chairman Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: "Emirati talents, with the support of the UAE leadership, have turned the dream of our founding fathers into reality. Thanks to them we won the bet, and we succeeded in launching a railway network with international specifications that extends to about 900km across the emirates."
The network contributes to supporting companies' businesses and enhancing investment opportunities. The main line of the UAE National Rail Network extends from Ghuweifat on the border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah, forming an essential part of the global supply network, he noted.
Sheikh Theyab also kicked off the operation of the freight trains throughout the UAE with a fleet of 38 locomotives and more than 1,000 wagons capable of transporting all types of goods.
"The completion of the network according to the schedule and the approved budget, would not have been possible without the cohesion of our talented Emirati cadres," he added.
A mammoth project, it involved 11 contractors, 25 consultants, and 28,000 specialists who worked on the project clocking 133 million working hours as well as 40,000 approvals from 180 government agencies.
More than 1,000 operational documents have been produced, including instructions, handbooks, guidelines, policies, operating procedures, agreements, and others.
The stage one of the Network has been fully operational since January 2016, where the stage two of the project started in early 2020.
The railway network passes through a variety of geographical terrains, within a large-scale engineering plan that includes the construction of 593 bridges and crossings of all types and 9 tunnels with a length of 6.5 km.
According to Etihad Rail, it took 120 million cu m of excavation work to complete, to ensure the highest levels of vehicular traffic flow under the tracks of the railway network.
The fleet of the most modern freight trains in the region includes 38 locomotives, with a capacity of 60 million tonnes of goods annually, and more than 1,000 multi-purpose vehicles.
Each goods transport’s locomotive operates with a power of 4,500 horsepower, equivalent to 3,400 kilowatts. It is one of the most powerful freight train engines in the Middle East.-TradeArabia News Service
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