Dubai Times All About Dubai
An AED 50 billion Railway programme will help in easing the travel in UAE. As per a video tweeted by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the UAE Railway Programme will carry over 36.5 million passengers a year and connect 11 cities and regions in the UAE.
Started with an investment of AED 50 billion, it is expected to yield returns of over AED 200 billion.
Sheikh Mohammed tweeted, “The project reinforces the principles of the 50, where we emphasised that our national priority is the economy and development and establishing the UAE as one economic destination. We are proud to start the UAE’s new 50 with this project. The future is greater and more beautiful.”
Construction of a rail line between Abu Dhabi and Dubai is in full swing. After it is completed, trains will travel south towards Al Dhafra and north towards Dubai and the Northern Emirates on the track.
One fully laden freight train can replace approximately 300 trucks on the road, producing up to 70-80 per cent less CO2 emissions than trucks moving the same tonnage.
The railway line will connect the emirates’ key industrial hubs and boost economic and social development across the UAE, said Etihad Rail in the tweet.
The track will run up to the border of Saudi Arabia in the south, in the east, it will touch Oman and will have several freight terminals, distribution centres and depots located close to major transport hubs, warehouses, and storage facilities across the UAE. The commercial activity was started on it by Etihad Rail in January 2016 and completed phase one of its network covering 264km from Shah and Habshan (the location of gas fields in Abu Dhabi) to the port in Ruwais on the western coast of Abu Dhabi.
The Railways Program includes three key projects. The first is Freight Rail, which includes Etihad Rail freight services. The second project is the Rail Passenger Services that aim to connect 11 cities within the UAE from Al Sila to Fujairah. At a speed of 200km/h Rail Passenger Services will enable passengers to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes, and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes. By 2030, the number of passengers is expected to reach more than 36.5 million annually.
Etihad Rail will be expanded to include passenger train services and is expected to carry millions of passengers between the country’s major cities by 2030.
It will allow passengers to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes, and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes.
The 1,200km long railway line will connect all seven emirates and link the other five countries of the GCC: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.
The UAE Railways Program falls under the Projects of the 50 program, which is a series of developmental and economic projects that aim to accelerate the UAE’s development, transform it into a comprehensive hub in all sectors and establish its status as an ideal destination for talent and investors.
