The Etihad Rail network map ... connecting the dots.
Unity train
Etihad Rail’s network will serve two purposes – link key areas in the UAE and at the same time connect the national system with Saudi Arabia and Oman to ultimately join the GCC rail network.
01 June 2011
ETIHAD Rail, the UAE’ first national railway that will spread countrywide and connect the country to Saudi Arabia and Oman, has been set rolling following the award of the project management consultancy to a joint venture of two US companies.
The Aecom Technology Corporation and Parsons International JV will work as Etihad Rail’s (formerly Union Railway) programme and construction manager to implement the first phase of the project and design of the subsequent two phases.
When the Dh40-billion ($10.89 billion) project is completed in 2017, there will be a 1,200-km freight and passenger rail network built across the UAE’s seven emirates, starting with a route linking the gas fields of Shah and Habshan to Ruwais. This greenfield project is one of the largest single railway programmes to be implemented in the world. It will form the UAE component of the overall GCC rail network, which will link the UAE with Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.
The mixed-traffic railway network will be developed in three phases. Phase One of the project incorporates the 270-km Shah-Habshan-Ruwais route – with the link between Habshan and Ruwais scheduled to be completed in the beginning of 2013 and that between Shah and Habshan by the end of 2014.
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Sowaidi and Bowker ... bright era. |
At the end of February, Etihad Rail, the main developer and operator of the rail network, issued a tender for the rolling stock of the railway in the Western Region to pre-qualified companies. It was issued in conjunction with a tender released on March 1 to more than 20 pre-qualified consortia for the civic and track works of the same route.
The civil and track works contract comprises the design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning (on a design-and-build basis) of all assets relating to the completion of this project. Bids are due to be submitted this month (June 1) and a contract is expected to be issued by the end of August.
The first stage of the project is in accordance with Etihad Rail’s agreement with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) to move granulated sulphur from its sources in Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export, from 2013.
Phase Two involves the construction of the remainder of the Abu Dhabi emirate network and a connection to Dubai covering vital areas such as Mussaffah and the Khalifa and Jebel Ali ports, and the Saudi and Omani borders. Preliminary engineering on this phase started early this year, and construction is scheduled to begin during the second half of 2012.
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The third and final phase entails the implementation of the rest of the network in the Northern Emirates. The concept alignment definition started early this year, with design scheduled to commence later this year and construction to start by the end of 2012.
The network, which will be designed to transport about 50 million tonnes of cargo and 16 million passengers in the initial stages, will also connect the UAE to Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat city in the west and Oman via Al Ain in the east. It will be operated by diesel trains but with provision for electrification in the future, with speeds of up to 120 kmph for freight trains and up to 200 kmph for passenger trains. The network will mainly be double track, designed for mixed traffic, equipped with an in-cab European signalling system (ETCS Level Two), of standard gauge, and will be built to accommodate twin stack containers.
This was announced in March in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Nasser Al Sowaidi, chairman of the board of directors of Etihad Rail and Mattar Al Tayer, the company’s vice-chairman.
“In line with major investment initiatives including Vision 2021 and the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, the Etihad Rail network is one of the most significant national projects in the development of the UAE, as it looks to provide the country with a modern, safe, and integrated railway network,” says a spokesman for Etihad Rail.
The railway network will form an imperative part of the country’s infrastructure and promote integration between various methods of transportation, both current and planned for the future, he says. “The UAE has a long and proud tradition as a trading economy and Etihad Rail is developing an extensive rail network that will expand this tradition and further grow the UAE as a logistics hub for businesses and industries in the region and beyond,” he adds.
Also unveiled was a new dynamic corporate identity, which incorporates the colours of the UAE flag as a symbol of the national significance of the railway network. Etihad Rail’s visual identity is an iconic and forward thinking embodiment of the rail network for the UAE. The streamlined marque conveys a falcon’s head in the shape of a locomotive moving forward with speed and precision. The extended line out to the falcon’s head has been created to reinforce the strong forward movement the rail network offers. The primary colours are intrinsically UAE: red, green, white and black.
Being built in line with the latest technologies in accordance with the highest international standards, the railway as a vital part of the greater $100 billion GCC rail network will facilitate trade, open up communication channels, and foster economic and infrastructure development.
It is understood that Etihad Rail will carry a lot of freight – rocks, aluminium, cement, iron, steel and the like – with Adnoc transporting the first shipment of granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export abroad.
Etihad Rail is working with key stakeholders to deliver the railway professionally, efficiently and on schedule. Notable current stakeholders include Abu Dhabi Ports Company, Dubai Ports and ZonesCorp. The master-developer is also working at integrating the railway with key ports and industrial zones.
Furthermore, from project management to financing, Etihad Rail is collaborating and teaming up with some of the world’s best consultants, including Atkins, for the preliminary engineering of the network; UBS Investment Bank, to provide advice in developing a strategic financing plan for the construction and operation of the railway; and McKinsey & Company, to provide advice on business strategy and operating model.
The company has made dramatic progress since its establishment in 2009. Many detailed technical, commercial and financial studies have been completed to confirm the economic and social impact the railway will bring to the UAE. “A comprehensive model of the predicted passenger and freight flows for the next 20 to 30 years has been built which demonstrates, for example, that around 50 million tonnes of freight and 16 million passengers can be reliably predicted with more on top to come,” the spokesman says.
Speaking of the social, economical, environmental and safety benefits the railway will bring to the citizens and business of the UAE, the Etihad Rail spokesman says these are now better understood with the environmental impact assessment for the Shah-Habshan route having been completed and approved by the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi.
“One train can remove some 300 lorries from the road, thus improving safety and reducing congestion. A fully-loaded train can produce 70 to 80 per cent less of the carbon dioxide emissions that lorries generate to move the same tonnage. Cargo, whether intermodal, bulk or break bulk, can often be carried on rail at rates that are competitive with other means of transport,” Richard Bowker, CEO of Etihad Rail, explains.
It will also connect rural areas to central cities, enabling wider economic benefit for these areas.
“Eighteen months ago, the project was still in feasibility, still an exciting vision but just a vision nonetheless. Now that vision is fast becoming reality, building an unstoppable momentum. 2011 will be the year when the tracks of one of the world’s newest and most exciting railway networks start to be built, bringing with them a bright new era for travel and transport in the UAE,” the spokesman concludes.
