Railway service will soon connect Abu Dhabi city and Al Dhannah in Al Dhafra. The agreement for this development was formally signed between Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).
Al Dhannah, situated approximately 250km west of Abu Dhabi, has a population of 29,000 residents. Its transformation from a rural desert town began in the 1970s when it was chosen to house the industrial staff population of Adnoc.
Through this new partnership, future train services will facilitate the transportation of Adnoc employees between the capital city and Al Dhannah.
Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Office of Development and Martyrs Families Affairs at the Presidential Court, emphasized that this collaboration reflects “the vision of Etihad Rail to provide world-class passenger experiences.”
Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of Adnoc, stated, “This partnership with Etihad Rail underscores Adnoc’s commitment to supporting sustainable transportation solutions and infrastructure development projects in the UAE.” He further highlighted Adnoc’s dedication to exploring opportunities that strengthen partnerships and implement solutions contributing to emission reduction, aligning with their Net Zero by 2045 target.
This initiative not only sets an example but also opens avenues for other companies to consider similar partnerships.
Etihad Rail is actively advancing the development of its passenger services. Recent financial agreements, including a Dh1.99-billion green loan with First Abu Dhabi Bank in February 2022 and a Dh1.2 billion agreement with Spain’s CAF company in June 2022 for passenger trains, reflect the ongoing progress.
The first phase of Etihad Rail, operational since 2016, primarily offers freight services. The announced rail passenger service, aiming to connect 11 cities, envisions top speeds of 200kmph. Passengers are expected to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes. By 2030, the network anticipates catering to 36.5 million passengers annually.
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