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Etihad Rail
The main line of the pan UAE National Rail Network extends from Ghuweifat on the border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and passes through the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah.
Moving full steam ahead, Etihad Rail now continues the tracklaying works in the emirate of Fujairah within the upcoming weeks, bringing it closer towards the completion of the UAE National Rail Network as per the set schedule.
National Railways Programme
This comes in line with the goals of the National Railways Programme, the biggest integrated sustainable transport system in the UAE, which seeks to connect the Emirates via rail and accelerate the country’s sustainable economic development.
The line in Sharjah extends over 45 km and is part of the last package of the project, which is 145 km in length. Connecting the Emirate to the main line recorded more than 11.7mn work hours in 25 months.
Around 2,900 workers and engineers took part in the project, which involved the track laying works and running quality checks for the new line. The line in Ras Al Khaimah, which extends over 5.7 km and connects the Emirate to the main line, recorded more than 1.3mn hours in 25 months, by around 350 workers and engineers.
Engineer Khuloud Al Mazrouei, Deputy Project Manager at Etihad Rail, said: “This completion plays a key role in opening up new prospects in the logistics and transport industry, driving social development, and providing promising economic opportunities in the UAE and the region across a range of sectors.”
Last package of Etihad Rail project
The last package of Stage Two of Etihad Rail project, which runs for 145 km from Sharjah to Fujairah port, passing through Ras Al Khaimah, saw important developments. In May 2022, Etihad Rail commenced track laying operations of the package, which coincided with the visit of HH Sheikh Theyab Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Chairman, Etihad Rail, to inspect The Board of Directors of Oman RailEtihad Rail JV Company, a joint venture between Oman Rail, the developer and operator of the Oman National Rail Network, and Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, held its inaugural meeting in Dubai, two days after signing an agreement to form the company.
The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of the recent visit of the UAE President, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Oman.
The Board of Directors includes HE Suhail Bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; HE Eng. Saeed Bin Hamoud Al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology in the Sultanate of Oman;; Sheikh Nasser Sulaiman Al Harthy, Acting Vice President of Operations Affairs, Oman Investment Authority and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asyad Group; HE Saeed Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etihad Rail Mobility; Eng. Abdulrahman Salim Al Hatmi, Group CEO, Asyad Group and Eng. Shadi Malak, CEO, Etihad Rail.
During the meeting, the Board of Directors discussed the implementation plans, including technical studies and architectural design, as well as environmental studies for routes, the business model and the commercial affairs of the joint venture.
The Board of Directors also appointed Eng. Ahmed Al Hashemi as CEO of the company, and Eng. Mohammed bin Zahran Al Mahruqi as Deputy CEO.
“The joint railway network will advance the land transport system between the two countries in line with the best-in-class criteria and standards, providing safe, dependable, and sustainable transportation,” HE Minister Al Mazrouie stated.
“Through this partnership we will provide high-quality transport solutions that will contribute to establishing a connection between Sohar and the Omani free zone, with vital economic and industrial zones in the UAE,” HE Minister Al Maawali explained.
The US$ 3bn railway network will contribute to the growth of the two countries’ national economies and improve the efficiency of supply chains whilst facilitating cross-border trade by linking commercial ports to the railway network.
Oman Rail and Etihad Rail JV Board of Directors hold inaugural meeting
The development of the JV network will boost land transport system
the latest developments.
The line in the last package of Stage Two has 54 bridges and 20 animal crossings. It also has 9 tunnels which extend over 6.9 km along Al Hajar Mountains, and include the longest tunnel in the GCC for heavy cargo, which extends over 1.8 km. This line passes through one of the most difficult geographical areas due to the mountainous terrain surrounding it.
Etihad Rail completes tracklaying works for the main line in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah
The project involved 3,250 workers and 13mn workhours over 25 months
Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, has completed the main works of the UAE National Rail Network with the completion of the tracklaying works of the main line in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, as part of the last package of Stage Two of the project.
The main line of the UAE National Rail Network extends from Ghuweifat on the border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and passes through the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah.
Moving full steam ahead, Etihad Rail now continues the tracklaying works in the emirate of Fujairah within the upcoming weeks, bringing it closer towards the completion of the UAE National Rail Network as per the set schedule.
National Railways Programme
This comes in line with the goals of the National Railways Programme, the biggest integrated sustainable transport system in the UAE, which seeks to connect the Emirates via rail and accelerate the country’s sustainable economic development.
The line in Sharjah extends over 45 km and is part of the last package of the project, which is 145 km in length. Connecting the Emirate to the main line recorded more than 11.7mn work hours in 25 months.
Around 2,900 workers and engineers took part in the project, which involved the track laying works and running quality checks for the new line. The line in Ras Al Khaimah, which extends over 5.7 km and connects the Emirate to the main line, recorded more than 1.3mn hours in 25 months, by around 350 workers and engineers.
“This completion plays a key role in opening up new prospects in the logistics and transport industry, driving social development, and providing promising economic opportunities in the UAE and the region across a range of sectors,” stated Engineer Khuloud Al Mazrouei, Deputy Project Manager at Etihad Rail.
Last package of Etihad Rail project
The last package of Stage Two of Etihad Rail project, which runs for 145 km from Sharjah to Fujairah port, passing through Ras Al Khaimah, saw important developments. In May 2022, Etihad Rail commenced track laying operations of the package, which coincided with the visit of HH Sheikh Theyab Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Chairman, Etihad Rail, to inspect the latest developments.
The line in the last package of Stage Two has 54 bridges and 20 animal crossings. It also has 9 tunnels which extend over 6.9 km along Al Hajar Mountains, and include the longest tunnel in the GCC for heavy cargo, which extends over 1.8 km. This line passes through one of the most difficult geographical areas due to the mountainous terrain surrounding it.
Etihad Rail signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with international companies SNCF International, France’s national state-owned railway company; Alstom, a global leader in the green and smart mobility sector; Progress Rail, a Caterpillar company, and the Thales Group.
The signing of the agreements took place at the recently concluded InnoTrans 2022, the leading international trade fair for transport technology, held in Berlin, Germany in September 2022.
The agreements, which were signed by officials from both sides, aim to support the UAE’s economic development by driving the growth of the rail industry in the UAE and the region, and cover key areas which include rail operations and maintenance, service facilities, and cargo transportation, while ensuring the integration of the latest technologies.
“Our partners play a key role in supporting us to achieve our mission of developing and operating a rail network that incorporates state-of-theart technologies, and provides safe, sustainable, and reliable solutions,” stated Ahmed Al Musawa, Executive Director, Passenger Sector, Etihad Rail.
SNCF International
Under the terms of the MoU between Etihad Rail and SNCF International, the two parties will collaborate and explore opportunities in different areas of mutual interest. These areas include railway operations; train maintenance; workshops and training sessions; design, development, and operations rail projects in the UAE; supply and maintenance of railway rolling stock, among others.
“We believe rail transport is the foundation of a sustainable mobility. SNCF International salutes the commitment of Etihad Rail with their ambitious and major projects for rail transport. We are looking forward to this cooperation,” affirmed Diego Diaz, President, SNCF International.
Alstom
The MoU between Etihad Rail and Alstom centres on the integration of advanced technologies and services in the railway industry. As part of the MoU, the two parties will collaborate in areas, which include: Railway innovations, from incubation to commercialization, including innovative sustainability in the field of train technology; mobility and integration solutions between various modes of transport.
“Together, we will focus on the digitalization of the railway sector to optimize operations, maintenance, and enhance customer experience for the passenger service,” remarked Mama Sougoufara, Alstom’s Managing Director for the MENAT region (Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey).
Thales
The MoU with Thales also places a major focus on the digitization of Etihad Rail’s services. Under the terms of the MoU, the two parties will collaborate in various areas, which include new generation rail control; European Train Control System (ETSC) Level 3; driver advisory system; intelligent traffic operation; asset management and real time passenger flow.
“This new partnership demonstrates the key partner role played by Thales throughout the world to help its customers meet the challenges they must face. It also proves the high recognition of Thales expertise in rail domain,” observed Millar Crawford, Executive Vice-President, Ground Transportation Systems, Thales.
Progress Rail
In addition, the MoU with Progress Rail aims to discuss areas of cooperation to support sustainability in the railway industry through discussing potential opportunities for the development and deployment of an autonomous, zeroemissions port-to-port concept, which could serve as the foundation for future rail operations globally.
“Progress Rail is committed to providing sustainable solutions for customers like Etihad Rail,” noted Marty Haycraft, President and CEO, Progress Rail.
Etihad Rail signs four MoUs with leading international railway companies
Signs agreements with Alstom, SNCF, Progress Rail, and the Thales Group
