His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, have launched the AED 50 billion ‘Projects of the 50’ initiative. And, thanks to a new update from the UAE Rail Programme, we may be able to experience it here sooner than you think.
The rail line will go from Fujairah’s eastern coast to the extreme edge of Saudi Arabia, connecting all seven emirates with scheduled train service. There are already plans in the works to expand it outside the Gulf States. The UAE Rail Programme will include Etihad Rail’s freight service, Rail Passenger Services, and, eventually, light rail options.
The most recent rail development update occurred during a special ‘Projects of the 50’ event at Expo, and it has some excellent news for the passenger-related component of the UAE’s enormous rail adventure. Rail Passenger Services will be the project’s second phase (after freight) and is planned to handle more than 36.5 million people per year by 2030.
Talking about the project Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, said ” the Rail Passenger Services will enhance the transportation system across the UAE allowing passengers to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes, and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes.”
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “The Etihad Rail is the largest project to consolidate the strength of the union for the next fifty years. It will connect 11 key cities and regions across the UAE.” “The project comes in line with the environmental policy of the UAE and it will reduce carbon emissions by 70-80 per cent”, he added.
The third component of the project will be a network of ‘light rail’ throughout the cities of the UAE (similar to Dubai’s Metro and Tram). Samert technologies are expected to be fully integrated here, enabling seamless passenger trips and booking experiences.
