Etihad Rail and Ras Al Khaimah’s (RAK) Stevin Rock, one of the largest quarrying companies in the world, has signed a haulage services agreement under which the former will transport raw materials from RAK to Abu Dhabi.
The agreement between the two entities was signed by their respective figurehead, CEO of Etihad Rail, Shadi Malak and General Manager of Stevin Rock, Eng. Naser Bustami.
This agreement is of considerable significance as the first in a series of commercial agreements for Stage Two of the UAE National Rail Network, which sees major organisations based in the UAE connected throughout the emirates, via Etihad Rail’s highly anticipated national railway network, which stretches over 605km from Al Ghuwaifat on the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia in the west to the port of Fujairah on the eastern coast.
An estimated 3.5 million tonnes of construction material will be carried annually from Stevin Rock’s Al Ghail quarry in Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi, through 500 annual train trips. Each train will measure one kilometre in length, hauling 70 wagons that will have a carrying capacity of 7,000 tonnes per journey. The agreement will have significant environmental benefits, with an annual reduction of 100,000 truck trips.
Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, said: “Our company inhabits a pivotal role in the logistics, infrastructure, and transport sectors across the UAE, to support and enhance our customers’ business models and competitiveness.
“By connecting with quarries in the Northern Emirates, Etihad Rail will ensure faster and more cost-effective delivery of construction materials, which in turn, we continue to deliver on our commitment to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions by decreasing truck movement on the roads, supporting our overall ethos of a sustainable future and the UAE’s wider sustainability targets.”
Stevin Rock has been operating in RAK since 1978, providing high quality materials and services to the construction, cement, steel, mining, glass, and chemical industries in the GCC region and beyond.
Through using the UAE’s National Rail Network to transport aggregate, Stevin Rock will enjoy enhanced operational efficiency, improved delivery, and an expanded regional supply chain, while reducing greatly the company’s carbon footprint.
Malak added: “As a primary company that has signed an agreement with us, they will benefit from the integrated transport solutions Stage Two of the project provides upon completion.
“Stevin Rock will be one of the first to witness the benefits associated with the interconnectivity that Etihad Rail will establish within the emirates, transporting their products from RAK to Abu Dhabi’s logistics hub, the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), in addition to the benefits corresponding with the future planned wider GCC network, which will offer new business opportunities to enhance operations and business models of potential customers.”
Etihad Rail began construction works on the Al Ghail facility, which is part of the freight facilities series the company is developing, in 2020 with the aim of providing transportation services from the quarries of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah to the rest of the UAE.