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UAE residents eager for Etihad Rail launch: 'Will be like metro connecting country'
Dubai Ruler's ride on the train, which can reach speeds of up to 200kmph, has sparked excitement among people who travel long distances daily
- PUBLISHED: Sun 3 Aug 2025, 6:00 AM UPDATED: Sun 3 Aug 2025, 7:34 AM
When residents read about the readiness of the Etihad Rail passenger service — highlighted by the recent journey of UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum from Dubai to Fujairah, many regular commuters across the UAE said they are now eagerly waiting for it to open to the public.
The Dubai Ruler’s ride on the train, which can reach speeds of up to 200kmph, has sparked excitement among people who travel long distances daily or weekly. For many, the launch of the national rail network will mark the end of tiring road journeys and the start of faster, more comfortable, and hassle-free travel.
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Ashraf Saleem, who lives in Al Dhaid and works at a real estate company in Sharjah, travels daily by car. “The traffic and long drives are tiring, especially during peak hours,” he said.
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Saleem travels daily from Al Dhaid to his office in Sharjah and he spends nearly two hours on the road every day. “Sometimes, the traffic delays the journey for half an hour. One way takes me about 45 minutes to an hour. But once the trains are open to the public, it would make journeys stress-free,” said Saleem.
“Reading about Sheikh Mohammed's train journey made me hopeful, and once it opens to the public, I’ll be among the first to book a ticket.”
Etihad Rail’s passenger network will span approximately 900 kilometres, connecting 11 key cities and regions across the seven emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, Al Dhaid, Ras Al Khaimah, and others. The network aims to serve 36 million passengers annually by 2030.
For residents like Abdullah Al Ali, who travels from Fujairah to Dubai twice a week for business meetings, “an efficient train ride is exciting".
“It’ll save me time, fuel, and energy. Instead of spending hours on the road, I’ll be able to sit back and relax or work while travelling,” he said.
Abdullah believes that once the train is open for the public, they will be able to plan their trip very well, and for those who don’t drive, Etihad rail will be a savior. “There are many residents who don’t drive. I see in my company that many of them plan a week ahead to travel to Dubai or Abu Dhabi during the weekends. Once its open, we just have to book the tickets and hop on the train,” added Abdullah.
Nihad Sameer, another Al Dhaid resident, commutes to Dubai at least four times a week and is hopeful that the train will completely transform his travel experience. “Sometimes for work of just 20 minutes, I have to drive from Al Dhaid to Dubai or Sharjah. And honestly, sometimes, it's stressful. I am just imagining, once its open, how easy and comfortable the journeys will be. It will be like a metro that connects key cities of the country,” said Sameer.
“I was reading about the time to travel from one city to another, and its just a few minutes away. Taking the instance of Al Dhaid to Dubai, I read that it would take just 30 minutes, which is like travelling on the metro from Centre Point station to Business Bay. I can’t wait to hop on that train,” added Sameer.
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.
