Etihad Rail starts construction of railway network

| 21.07.2011

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will start the construction of a national rail network later this year, as announced by Etihad Rail (formerly Union Rail) last week. The construction of the rail network will take place in three phases. In the end of this year, the first phase will start with the construction of a freight railroad in the western part of the UAE. In the second phase, this line will be extended to Abu Dhabi and in the third phase, the rest of the UAE (including Dubai) will be connected. The whole national network must be completed in 7-8 years and will be an integral part of the network in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) states. According to Etihad Rail, the new rail network will play an important role in the economic growth of the UAE and the movement of people and goods in the country.

The construction of the national rail network is a further step in building a comprehensive public transport system in the UAE. At this, Dubai is the forerunner with a major extension of the bus network in the last years, the opening of the first fully automated metro system in the world in 2009 and the current construction of the Al Sufouh Tram, the first tram in the world with platform screen doors at the tram stops. Abu Dhabi and the other cities in the UAE are currently preparing a lot of public transport investment projects.