His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, affirmed that the national railway network is an ambitious project that contributes to strengthening the UAE’s preparations for the future. The developmental march of the UAE.
His Highness added, “We are proud of our sons and daughters who have worked over the years to build an ambitious strategic project that takes our national economy to new horizons.”
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said: “Linking the emirates of the country to a national train network raises our capabilities, enhances our competitiveness, and consolidates our unity.”
This came during the inauguration ceremony of His Highness the UAE National Railway Network, at the main control and maintenance center in the Al Faya region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The network is an ambitious development project linking the seven emirates with a single railway network, which constitutes one of the largest infrastructure projects in the region. Operations for the freight train have been launched across all emirates of the country.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Supreme President and CEO of Emirates Airlines and the Group, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and a number of ministers and senior officials.
Enhance bonding and cohesion.
For his part, His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Etihad Rail Company, which is executing the project, affirmed that the UAE is under the visions and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him”, and follow-up His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him”, is continuing to build its development path and the bright future of its children, and that its ambitions are limitless, and that the achievements under the UAE’s leadership and visions will not stop.
In his speech during the inauguration ceremony, His Highness said: “The sons of the Emirates have turned the dream of the founding fathers into reality.. and that the UAE is a land of goodness, and the mine of its people is will, loyalty and achievement, and the coming is better, and our country under its leadership is in safe hands.”
His Highness added: “Thanks to the human element, the citizen, whom the leadership was keen to support and enable, and who has proven its worth in all fields, we won the bet, and we reached this day when we open a network of trains with international specifications that extends to about 900 kilometers across the Emirates, and we announce the operation of the freight train in all parts of the Emirates.” With a fleet of 38 locomotives and more than 1,000 wagons capable of transporting all kinds of goods, pointing out that the completion of the “Etihad Train” according to the schedule and the approved cost would not have been possible without the cohesion of the sons and daughters of the Emirates to serve their country.
His Highness highlighted honorable Emirati models in the public and private sectors, which contributed to the project’s support and success, praising their patriotic sense and contributions to reach this achievement today.
Promising economic prospects.
The UAE national railway network contributes to supporting companies’ businesses and enhancing their investment opportunities, as the seven emirates of the country are linked to each other from Ghuwaifat at the border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Fujairah, forming an essential part of the global supply network.
The first phase of the national railway network was completed and commercial operations commenced in late 2016, and the construction works of the second phase of the project commenced in early 2020.
Consolidate the strength of the union.
The UAE national railway network will contribute to consolidating the strength of the union for the next fifty years by supporting the national economy at a value of 200 billion dirhams, and will save 8 billion dirhams in the cost of road maintenance, and its tourism benefits are estimated at about 23 billion dirhams.
The project has contributed to supporting the local industry by assigning 215 companies and local destinations, and 70% of the building materials used in the project are produced by the local industry.
The project also supports the UAE’s goals for sustainable development and contributes to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, as it will contribute to reducing carbon emissions by 21% in the country’s land transport sector, and reducing road transport emissions per capita by 40%, by 2050.
The project also contributed to supporting the Emiratisation agenda and graduating qualified cadres to work in the sector. Now the first Emirati train captain, the first Emirati train captain, the first Emirati train controller, the first train inspector and other specializations work at Etihad Rail.
UAE National Railway Network.
The UAE National Railway Network is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country, as it was worked on by 11 consortiums of contractors, 25 consultants, and 28 thousand specialists and workers, and its completion took 133 million working hours, and 40 thousand approvals from 180 government agencies.
More than 1,000 railway operational documents have been produced “including instructions, handbooks, guidelines, policies, standard operating procedures, agreements, joint services agreements, and others”.
The documents were also prepared and delivered at a very fast pace and at one time, in addition to that the existing documents continue to interact between the various parties, to ensure coordination between all relevant parties, as well as to ensure that all documents are comprehensive and ready for use in any activity under any of the subsidiaries.
The UAE national railway network passes through a variety of geographical terrains, within a large-scale engineering scheme that included the construction of 593 bridges and crossings of all types, and 9 tunnels with a length of 6.5 kilometers. It took 120 million cubic meters of excavation work to complete, which is equivalent to 50 times the Great Pyramid in Egypt. To ensure the highest levels of smoothness of vehicular traffic under the tracks of the railway network.
cargo train.
The fleet of the most modern freight train in the region includes 38 locomotives, with a capacity of 60 million tons of goods annually, and more than 1,000 multi-purpose vehicles.
The locomotives for transporting goods are distinguished by mechanisms to control the slow speed to assist in the activities of loading and unloading goods. Each locomotive operates with a power of 4,500 horsepower, equivalent to 3,400 kilowatts, which is one of the most powerful freight train engines in the Middle East.
The speed of the cargo train reaches 120 km per hour, and it is equipped to transport various types of huge loads and general freight containers, and the standard width of the railway reaches 1,435 meters, and it operates with the European signaling system “ETCS level 2”.
The freight train fleet 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.
Connect 4 major ports.
The cargo train will connect 4 major ports, and will include 7 logistics centers in the country serving various trains and businesses.
The network also includes a series of freight stations located in Ruwais, ICAD, Khalifa Port, Dubai Industrial City, Jebel Ali Port, Al Ghail, and Fujairah Port, which is a major hub for local and regional distribution and logistics services, especially as it includes customs warehouses and on-site cargo inspection services. .
The network will also provide a wide range of easy-to-use solutions for investors and customers, due to its ability to transport all types of goods, including the transportation of bulk containers such as petrochemicals, raw steel and its products, limestone, cement, building materials, industrial and household waste, aluminum, food commodities, and general cargo.