Etihad Rail phase two to kick-off soon

At a press conference held today to discuss the 12th edition of Middle East Rail, Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development and chairman of the Board of Directors of Federal Transport Authority – Land & Maritime, confirmed plans to issue a federal law that will help kick-start regulations for a nation-wide railway network in the UAE.

Dr al-Nuaimi remarked that phase two of the Etihad Rail project will begin soon, to connect key ports in the UAE. The 628km phase 2 was originally planned to connect the railway to Mussafah, to the Gulf ports of Khalifa and Jebel Ali, and to the Saudi and Omani borders, but will only focus on national development currently.

Currently, Stage 1 of Etihad Rail, which started commercial operations in 2015, transports granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to port of Ruwais over a distance of 264 kilometres.

In March 2011, The National reported that Etihad Rail has suspended plans for a dedicated passenger link between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and would press on with freight lines instead.

Last month, UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a federal decree restructuring the Etihad Rail board of directors under the chairmanship of Sheikh Dhiyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The new board members appointed for a term of three years include Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority; Falah Al Ahbabi, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council; Abdullah Salem Al Kathiri, director-general of the Federal Authority for Land and Marine Transport; Mohammed Saeed Al Dhanhani, director of the Fujairah Emiri Diwan; Saeed Rashid Al Yatim, assistant under-secretary for Resources and Budget Affairs at the Ministry of Finance; Arif Obaid Al Dehail, CEO of the Department of Planning and Development – Trakhees; Yousef Saleh Al Suwaijee, chairman of the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority and Mohammed Ibrahim Al Mell, assistant under-secretary for Housing and Urban Planning at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development.

The Etihad Rail network will also form a vital part of the planned GCC Railway Network which will connect the region’s six GCC countries, linking the UAE to Saudi Arabia Ghweifat in the West and Oman through Al Ain in the East.

Middle East Rail, the largest railway industry event across the Middle East, North Africa, South and Central Asian region, will take place on 12-13 March at Dubai International Convention Centre.

The show will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, UAE and in partnership with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and the Federal Transport Authority – Land & Maritime.

Etihad Rail, X Rail, Greenbrier, Virgin Hyperloop, CAF, AECOM, Progress Rail and the Department for International Trade, UK, are back in full force to showcase their plans for future railway systems.