What sets the United Arab Emirates' railway network apart is its recent inception—construction began only in the twenty-first century. The formal framework was established in June 2009 when, under UAE Federal Law No. 2, Union Railway was created to manage the design, construction, and operation of both freight and passenger services across the nation.
This decision was preceded by the agreement of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which controls 95 percent of the UAE's hydrocarbon reserves, to utilize railway transport for the shipment of sulfur produced by ADNOC from hydrogen sulfide contained in natural gas.
Notably, that same year of 2009 marked another milestone for the UAE with the launch of the first phase of the Dubai Metro—a 52-kilometer "Red Line" that became the country's first rail transit facility in history. This broke the established global pattern in which the development of rail transport in any nation traditionally commenced with the formation of a national railway network, only later giving way to local networks of trams, metro systems, and urban railways.
First Dubai Metro train, 10.09.2009. (Source: Wikimedia Commons. Photo credit: Nepenthes.)
In the interim, Union Railway sought consultations from the German company Deutsche Bahn (DB) regarding the selection of an operational model for the project. Consequently, the option of establishing a joint venture for the operation of the future railway network was deemed optimal. With this proposal, the management of Etihad Rail (the name Union Railway adopted following a rebranding in 2011) approached the UAE government, which granted its approval.
In July 2011, Etihad Rail placed an order with the American company EMD for seven Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACS diesel locomotives (the first two locomotives of this series were delivered to the port of Musaffah in Abu Dhabi in April 2013 and subsequently transported to Al Mirfa in preparation for the commencement of operations). In September 2011, the Chinese company CSR Corporation Limited received an order for 240 covered freight cars for the transportation of granulated sulfur. Furthermore, in 2014, a facility for the production of concrete sleepers was commissioned in Al Mirfa.
A pair of SD70ACS diesel locomotives. The locomotives are painted in a red-and-gray livery incorporating the colors of the UAE flag. (Source: Railway World Magazine, 2016, No. 6.)
Following the necessary tender procedures conducted in 2013, the operating company Etihad Rail DB was established—a joint venture comprising Etihad Rail (51 percent shareholding) and two DB subsidiaries, DB Cargo and DB International, with a combined 49 percent stake.
In October 2014, the first train traversed the route from Habshan to Al Ruwais—one of the segments of Etihad Rail, with the first phase measuring 264 kilometers (Shah–Tarif–Al Ruwais). Freight volumes during trial operations were gradually increased, and by the end of 2015, the railway had already transported 4 million tons of granulated sulfur for its sole client at that time—ADNOC. Permanent operation of the line officially commenced on January 1, 2016. Two trains, each weighing 11,000 tons and measuring 1,600 meters in length, circulated daily. By July of that year, the cumulative freight volume transported had already exceeded 5 million tons.
Heavy-duty freight train carrying sulfur on Etihad Rail. (Source: carandmotor.gr website)
The operational characteristics of the new railway in desert conditions necessitated the implementation of a number of innovative technical solutions—the installation of specially designed drainage ditches and sand traps along the route, equipping all locomotives with sand filtration systems. Approximately once every seven days, maintenance work is performed to clear the tracks of sand accumulation using specialized equipment.
In January 2020, Etihad Rail commenced work on expanding the railway network, and by February 28, 2023, freight trains were operating across a network totaling approximately 900 kilometers, connecting all seven emirates—Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, and Sharjah. The main trunk line extends from Ghuweifat on the border with Saudi Arabia to Fujairah Port on the Gulf of Oman. From this point onward, containerized freight began to constitute a significant portion of the UAE railways' freight traffic, with the gauge on Etihad Rail designed to accommodate the carriage of containers in two tiers.
Since 2022, Etihad Rail has assumed full independent management of the country's railway network following the completion of the knowledge transfer program with Deutsche Bahn. The leadership of Etihad Rail regards the development of railway services in the UAE not as a localized project but as part of a considerably more ambitious initiative to establish and further develop rail transport throughout the Middle East.
Indeed, in April 2024, Etihad Rail and the Omani railway company Oman Rail announced the creation of a new joint venture, Hafeet Rail, which will construct 300 kilometers of new railway connecting the Etihad Rail network to Sohar Port in Oman, passing through Al Ain in the UAE.
The company's plans also encompass the development of passenger services. The first passenger train service between Abu Dhabi and Al Hana was inaugurated in January 2025. However, at present, it is accessible only to ADNOC employees and contractors.
Passenger diesel train on Etihad Rail. (Source: etihadrail.ae website)
Looking forward, the Etihad Rail network is planned to transport approximately 36.5 million passengers annually, with service extended to 11 major cities and districts throughout the UAE. The principal passenger-generating stations will be Al Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Dubai, Sharjah, and Al Dhaid. Each train, manufactured by the Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), will accommodate more than 400 passengers and achieve speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour. Consequently, travelers will be able to journey from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in one hour and forty minutes, and from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in just fifty minutes. In this manner, Dubai will become a city served by all three forms of rail passenger transport—railways, metro, and tram (which opened in November 2014).
A joint project of 1520International and the Institute for Economics and Transport Development (IETD)
Read next content