01 September 2020

Etihad Rail, the developer of the UAE’s national railway, has awarded a major contract to CRRC Corporation, a global leader in providing solutions for the sustainable development of the railway industry, for the manufacture, supply and commissioning of 842 new wagons, thus bringing its total fleet to more than 1,000 units to serve the whole network.

This expansion paves the way for the rail transport to become a principal platform for freight haulage in the UAE when Stage Two is completed, as it connects the entire country, said Etihad Rail.

By tripling its wagons fleet, the emirates’ annual transport capacity will increase by a factor of 8, reaching up to 59 million tonnes per annum, transporting cargo such as containerised and bulk freight, as well as general cargo, both domestically and internationally, it stated.

The contract was signed by Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Wang Hongwei, Vice President of CRRC Yangtze Group, a subsidiary of CRRC Corporation, during an online ceremony in the presence of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Chairman of Etihad Rail and other senior officials.

Sheikh Theyab reviewed the overall construction work progress of Stage Two and witnessed the purchase approval of more than 800 additional wagons, increasing the rail’s annual transport capacity to reach 59 million tonnes.

The newly acquired wagons will be manufactured according to specific GCC requirements, including state-of-the-art braking, signalling, and communications control and safety systems, while being tailor-made for the specific UAE and regional environmental conditions.

According to him, Stage Two of the Etihad Rail network is moving forward rapidly, as all contracts for the construction, civil works, freight facilities centres and the operations and maintenance headquarters have been awarded, plans approved, and ground broken on the Stage Two rail corridors.

When completed, it will extend 605 km from Ghuweifat on the border with Saudi Arabia to Fujairah and Khorfakkan on the UAE’s east coast, while connecting the ports of Jebel Ali in Dubai, Khalifa Port and ICAD/Mussafah in Abu Dhabi and the Port of Fujairah, with the existing Stage One line at Ruwais, effectively uniting the ports and trading centres of the country while opening up cross-border rail traffic to the GCC.

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