Completion of 75% of the second phase... and the tender for "passenger trains" soon

Etihad Rail: Reserving 60% of the annual capacity of “goods wagons” in advance

600 dignitaries, ministers and specialists in the transport and infrastructure sector participated in the conference.

From the source

The Middle East Rail Conference announced yesterday that Etihad Rail has completed 75% of the second phase of the national railway network, 28 months after the start of construction.

And company officials revealed that it succeeded in reserving 60% of the annual transmission capacity of the network, by giant industrial companies.

In detail, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Al Mazrouei, opened the conference, which is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, in cooperation between Etihad Rail, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi. , at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), for two days. Al Mazrouei stressed that "the transport sector in the UAE is receiving leadership's attention, for its role in sustainable development, its contribution to the gross domestic product, and the growth of national economies."

And he indicated that the UAE was ranked among the top 20 globally in 13 indicators related to the transport sector during the past year.

He explained that "the Corona pandemic has exacerbated many challenges, which calls for concerted efforts and formulating strategies that are in line with future developments and goals that revolve around better, faster and easy-to-access transportation options."

He stated that «the railway network, which will go beyond linking the emirates of the state to each other, to linking the state with the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States to form an essential part of the global supply network».

Al Mazrouei explained that "Etihad Train will contribute to changing the way passengers travel, not only within the country but across the region, in the coming years, which will lead to the creation of new economic opportunities, and the development and integration of new communities around the railways and the network, which will also form a basis for trade and services." regions and economic cities in the future.

For his part, CEO of Etihad Rail, Shadi Malak, said that the company is working under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Directors, to consolidate the position of the railway sector within the comprehensive government initiatives at the state level.

He revealed that the company succeeded, 28 months after the start of construction operations, in completing 75% of the second phase of the railway network, despite the challenges imposed by the "Covid-19" pandemic.

In turn, the Deputy Project Manager at Etihad Rail, Eng. Kholoud Al Mazrouei, stated that the second phase of the Etihad Rail project links the UAE with Saudi Arabia through the Ghuwaifat area.

It also links the emirates of the country to each other, and links the Khalifa Industrial City (KIZAD), and the ports of Khalifa, Jebel Ali and Fujairah on the eastern coast of the country, as part of a large-scale engineering scheme that includes the construction of bridges and tunnels, to ensure the highest levels of flow.

On the sidelines of the conference, Al Mazrouei confirmed that more than 27,000 experts, specialists and workers, working in more than 3,000 construction sites spread across the Emirates, managed to accomplish 100 million man-hours using more than 6000 machines and equipment.

She stated that each train journey is equivalent to removing about 300 trucks from the roads, which reduces carbon emissions by 70-80% compared to the amount emitted by trucks needed to transport the same load.

Al Mazrouei said: “We are moving towards achieving the company’s goal of transporting 60 million tons of goods annually by 2030, and reducing transportation costs by 30% to drive the growth of the logistics and transportation sector. Reserving 60% of the annual transport capacity of the network, and working on developing a charging station in Dubai Industrial City with a capacity of five million tons.

She confirmed the signing of an agreement between Etihad Rail and the First Abu Dhabi Bank, to finance the railway services project to transport passengers with a value of 1.990 billion dirhams, and tenders for the project during the coming period, adding that the passenger train will travel at a speed of 200 km per hour, with a capacity of 400 passengers per train.

"By 2030, the number of passengers is expected to reach 36.5 million passengers annually, as they will be able to travel between Abu Dhabi and Dubai within 50 minutes, between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah within 100 minutes, and between Dubai and Fujairah within 50 minutes," she said.

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