Watch: Etihad Rail freight services now fully operational, here's all you need to know

Each goods transport’s locomotive operates with a power of 4,500 horsepower, equivalent to 3,400 kilowatts

What can be shipped on Etihad Rail?

Etihad rail can ship consumer goods, perishable food, beverage items hay and other shipping aggregates, as well as petrochemicals, raw steel, limestone, cement, building materials, industrial and domestic waste, aluminium, containers, ceramics, polymers, bulk shipments, sugar, metals, waste, consumer goods, and other general cargo more. It also offers ‘customisable’ rail solution to transport various goods.

What are the train specs and speed?

The fleet of the most modern freight trains in the region includes 38 locomotives, with a capacity of 60 million tons of goods annually, and more than 1,000 multi-purpose vehicles.

Each goods transport’s locomotive operates with a power of 4,500 horsepower, equivalent to 3,400 kilowatts. It is one of the most powerful freight train engines in the Middle East.

The freight trains will run up to 120 km/h. The standard width of the rail is 1,435 metres, and it operates under the European ETCS level 2 signalling system. It has been specially designed to withstand the geographical nature, climatic conditions, high temperatures and humidity in the GCC region, to ensure high levels of performance, efficiency and sustainability.

Etihad Rail aims to reduce road transport emissions per capita by 40 per cent by 2050, contributing to an overall reduction in CO2 by 21 per cent per year by 2050. It operates transparently on pre-defined timetables from origin to destination, with minimal risk of disruption as per the nature of railways.

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How Etihad Rail will handle cargo?

Etihad Rail will use standardised intermodal steel container, flat-bed wagons, rail gondolas with low-side walls for loose bulk materials, “kwik-drop” hopper wagons with opening doors on the underside to discharge cargo, or temperature-controlled carriages for the transportation of perishable, delicate or temperature-sensitive products.

How wide is the train network?

The rail network connects the UAE’s four major ports. It also connects seven logistics centres across the country, to serve trains and related businesses.

The network also includes a number of charging stations located in Ruwais, Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), Khalifa Port, Dubai Industrial City, Jebel Ali Port, Al Ghail and Fujairah Port. These locations are a major hub for local and regional distribution and logistics services, as it includes customs warehouses and on-site cargo inspection services.

Etihad Rail Stage One has been fully operational since January 2016, transporting up to 22,000 tonnes of granulated sulphur each day from Habshan and Shah to Ruwais on behalf of ADNOC.

Stage Two extends across the UAE from the border with Saudi Arabia at Ghuwaifat, connecting the emirates via Abu Dhabi, KIZAD, Khalifa Port, Jebel Ali Port, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah and thence to Fujairah on the UAE’s east coast.

Etihad Rail will also link with the planned GCC network, crossing borders with the UAE’s GCC neighbours.

What is Etihad Rail’s mandate?

Etihad Rail was established in June 2009 under Federal Law No. 2, with the mandate to manage the development, construction and operation of the UAE’s national freight and passenger railway network.

On February 23, 2023, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inauguratedthe UAE National Railway Network at the main centre for control and maintenance in Abu Dhabi’s Al Fayah region

Sheikh Mohammed affirmed that the national railway network is an important milestone in the UAE's development journey, and an ambitious project that contributes to strengthening the country’s preparations for the future.

“We are proud of the performance of our sons and daughters who have worked hard over the years to build an ambitious strategic project that will propel our national economy to greater heights,” noted Sheikh Mohammed, adding: “Connecting the Emirates via a national railway network strengthens our capabilities and competitiveness, and consolidates our unity.”