Spotted In Dubai: New Passenger Train Being Tested On Etihad Rail Tracks

Mr.Zamaqshari Zubair, a resident of Dubai’s Al Qudra area has been one of the few lucky individuals to get a glimpse of the new trains conducting their test runs on the tracks of the Etihad Rail. Zubair observed that he has been seeing the new trains for the past couple of days and they look really impressive.

When he saw the trains initially, he thought that they were passenger trains but their wagons were closed. This led him to believe that these might indeed be the highly anticipated trains but Etihad had later clarified that those were freight trains and not passenger trains. 

Several other residents living near the  Etihad rails saw the test runs of these trains and some of them even shared that it brought memories of their home countries. The Etihad rail runs through the areas near Remraam, Mira, Town Square, and Mudon communities.

Fouad Ashraf, a resident of Arabella, Mudon said that he immediately recognized the sound of the train as he is familiar with the sounds of trains in India. He also added that it was a rather nostalgic experience for him as he used to listen to train sounds from his college hostel. 

The futuristic train’s prototype was unveiled at the 51st National Day celebrations in Abu Dhabi 

The sleek-looking train was an instant hit among the crowd as they cheered excitedly at the sight of the train being unveiled at the National Day Celebrations. The 1200-kilometer Etihad Rail is one of the ambitious and anticipated projects of the UAE that connects all seven Emirates and eleven major cities. It starts from the UAE-Saudi border and ends at the border with Oman.

The rail project is expected to create a whole new travel experience for the residents of the UAE as it will provide an easily accessible and economic transport alternative. Earlier, a 256-kilometer railway line had been constructed between Abu Dhabi and Dubai which the residents of new Dubai had been able to watch while the network was progressing. 

The passenger train is expected to cut down the travel time from Abu Dhabi to Dubai by thirty to forty percent and Dubai to Fujairah is expected to take around fifty minutes. According to a top Etihad official, the rail will be integrated into all modes of transportation to make the door-to-door travel experience more smoother and hassle-free for the consumer. The whole journey through the different terrains of the UAE will give travelers a new experience altogether.

Etihad Rail will also be passing through the Al Maha Forest region in Abu Dhabi which has breathtaking visual sceneries to offer to the passengers. Even though the rail passes through the forest area, careful and inclusive measures like the construction of bridges, animal crossings, and canals have been taken to preserve the wildlife and natural habitats of the forest. These decisions were part of the sustainability drive of the UAE in its transport ecosystem. 

By the end of 2022, almost seventy-five percent of the Etihad Rail was complete and this was the first time that Dubai and Abu Dhabi were being connected by a rail system.

The moment of this connection was witnessed by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Chairman of Etihad Rail. The last piece of the rail track was installed by both of them as a symbol of their unity. 

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The Al Qudra bridge, which is considered to be the longest rail bridge in Dubai is also part of the Etihad Rail project and it completed its construction by the end of January this year. It will be a major addition to the trade and commerce sector of the UAE as it will facilitate ease of transportation from point to point inside the UAE locations. It will also feature an eighty-six-kilometer cycle track and a collection of man-made lakes.

Etihad Rail also revealed the one-kilometer marine bridge that connects the Khalifa port and the National railway network. This bridge will contribute to the efficiency of goods transportation and this would gradually result in the reduction of shipping expenses too. 

The total commute time is expected to be reduced by up to forty percent when the Etihad Rail starts to function completely and by 2030 the total number of passengers using the service is estimated to reach 36.5 million annually. This prestige project of the UAE is part of the development agenda to make the whole of the UAE accessible and sustainable.

The wise leadership has put a detailed roadmap of the projects like Etihad Rail that will be completed in the coming years and will take the Emirate nation to new heights of global relevance and leadership.