Abu Dhabi (Etihad)
His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etihad Rail, stressed that the UAE national railway project is an ambitious national project that has witnessed, over the past years, vigorous follow-up and sound guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Nahyan, the President of the State, may God protect him, and today, Etihad Rail Company renews its commitment to continue working to achieve more successes and build on the foundations and pillars established by the wise leadership of the country to move towards developing the transportation system and achieving new stages of economic prosperity and progress, through the development of the railway network project. National and enhancing its contribution to the comprehensive development of the state, to demonstrate today the effectiveness of its role in reshaping the features of the sector and defining business models and customer behavior, through its continuous achievements to enhance its contribution to shaping the future of the transport sector to serve the pioneering march of the UAE.
This came during His Highness’s visit to review the latest package of the second phase of the UAE national railway network project, which extends 145 km from the Emirate of Sharjah to the port of Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.
During the visit, which started from Al-Suyoh area in Sharjah to the Sukum area in Fujairah, His Highness inspected several major landmarks of the project along its path in the last package of the second phase of the project, starting with the railway bridge in Al-Suyuh area in Sharjah, then heading to Al-Bithnah area In Fujairah to visit the Al-Bithnah Bridge, and then go to see the works of laying railway tracks in a number of tunnels that make their way through the Hajar Mountains in Fujairah.
After the inspection tour ended, His Highness Sheikh Diab and His Excellency Suhail bin Muhammad Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, witnessed the signing of an agreement between Etihad Rail and the Spanish company CAF, one of the world’s leading companies in the railway sector, to design, manufacture, supply and maintain passenger trains for the project. “Etihad Train” worth 1.2 billion dirhams.
His Highness Sheikh Theyab praised the agreement, which comes within the framework of Etihad Rail’s efforts to develop passenger transport services and reflects its continuous keenness to continue developing the national and strategic project “Etihad Train” in accordance with the best standards, practices and approved time plans. The agreement, which came as a result of the company’s success at the Middle East Rail Conference 2022, was signed by Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Jozo Imaz, CEO of the train fleet of the Spanish company CAF, in the presence of Inigo de Palacio, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain. The state, in addition to a number of officials from both sides. The agreement was signed at the construction site of the first passenger train station in the city center of Fujairah, in the Sukkum region.
Under the agreement, the Spanish company CAF is set to design, manufacture, supply and maintain passenger trains according to designs that comply with approved European standards, with a single train accommodating more than 400 passengers, with a speed of 200 kilometers per hour. The Spanish company CAF is one of the world’s largest companies with more than 100 years of experience in the railway sector and passenger transport services.
The passenger train will connect 11 cities and regions in the country of commodities to Fujairah, including Al Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Dhaid and Abu Dhabi. Passenger transportation services will enable travelers to plan their trips between the emirates and cities of the country more efficiently, starting from booking tickets to their final destinations and will help them save Travel time ranges between 30% to 40% compared to other means of land transportation, as it will take only 50 minutes to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai by train, and from Dubai to Fujairah only 50 minutes, and from Abu Dhabi to Ruwais only 70 minutes, and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah 100 one minute.
Attracting experiences
It is worth noting that Etihad Rail recently signed three memoranda of understanding with the Spanish national railway company “Renfe” and the two British companies, “High Speed One” and “GB Rail Variety”, with the aim of enhancing ways of cooperation, exchanging knowledge, experiences and best practices in the fields of railway services. and operations of freight and passenger trains, during the activities of the Middle East Railway Conference 2022, which the company hosted last May.
And last February, Etihad Rail signed an agreement with the First Abu Dhabi Bank to finance the railway services project to transport passengers at a value of 1.990 billion dirhams, as part of the national railway program for the UAE. Under the agreement, First Abu Dhabi Bank will act as the main approved organizer of the loan.
last packet path
The route of the last package of the second phase of the “Etihad Train” project extends for a distance of 145 km, linking the borders of the Emirate of Dubai and Sharjah, passing through the Emirate of Fujairah and reaching Ras Al Khaimah, and includes 54 bridges and 20 animal crossings. It also includes the construction of 9 tunnels that make their way in the Hajar Mountains at a distance of 6.9 km, including the longest railway tunnel for heavy loads in the Arabian Gulf region with a length of 1.8 km. This path has the advantage of passing through one of the most difficult geographical areas due to the mountainous terrain surrounding it.
In November 2021, the company announced the completion of drilling all railway tunnels on this track, two months ahead of schedule and according to the highest standards of safety and sustainability, using the latest tunnel boring machines and the best modern technologies, which is a qualitative addition to the project’s safety record. .
sustainability and reliability
The national railway network supports the growth of the national economy with an environmentally friendly transportation system that is efficient, sustainable, safe and cost-effective. The network uses locomotives equipped with the latest technology to reduce emissions, as the carbon emissions that result from transport by train are 70-80% less than the carbon emissions generated by Trucks of the same quantity, each train journey is equivalent to a load of 300 trucks.
Etihad Rail adopts international best practices and continuously conducts Environmental Impact Assessment Studies (EIAs) to reduce the impact of the UAE national railway network on the environment during its planning, construction and operations.
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