Dubai: Etihad Rail is planning to build passenger stations following cargo transportation. The agreement in this regard was signed with Alstom, SNCF, Progress Rail and Thales Group. Apart from this, contracts for maintenance and rail operation were also signed. A total of four new agreements were signed.
The first passenger station will be built in Fujairah. A train running at a speed of 200 km per hour can carry 400 passengers. From Abu Dhabi to Dubai and from Dubai to Fujairah can be reached in 50 minutes. At present even those who travel by car need twice this time.
It takes 70 minutes from Abu Dhabi to Al Ruwais and 100 minutes to Fujairah. Meanwhile, the agreement aims to open stations in various emirates. It will be the only train service connecting various emirates in the UAE.
Etihad Rail officials expressed hope that the cooperation with Alstom Group will give impetus to environmental protection projects. Digitalization is the target through collaboration with Thales Group.
The line from the Saudi Arabian border to Fujairah is 1200 km long. Rail will connect 11 cities.
However, the location of the station has not been disclosed. Recently modern passenger train compartments have been introduced. Hi-tech trains were also launched last month.
