UAE Signs First Contract for $8B High-Speed Rail Project

The contract for the Dubai section went to India’s Larsen & Toubro as lead contractor, with China Harbour Engineering Company, Wade Adams, with Egis of France and Surbana Jurong of Singapore as partners. Engineering consultants are the Spanish firms Sener and Ineco.

Phase one of the high-speed line will stretch 150 km from Al-Zahiyah in Abu Dhabi to Al-Jaddaf in Dubai, serving a total of five stations, three of which will be underground, including Abu Dhabi International Airport. The stations will be integrated with metro and bus transport.

According to the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), work on the high-speed line has been divided into four sections: Al Zahiyah to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, covering 23.5 km; Yas Island to the Abu Dhabi/Dubai administrative border, 64.2 km; from the emirates’ border to Al Jaddaf in Dubai, 52.1 km; and a branch to the Abu Dhabi International Airport, covering 9.2 km.

Etihad Rail Mobility intends to expand its high-speed system to eventually create a 10-station inner-city network within Abu Dhabi, a link between Abu Dhabi and the desert city of Al Ain, and a connection with the Emirate of Sharjah, according to media reports.

The company is now in late-stage negotiations for high-speed rolling stock with a number of industry giants, including: Seimens Mobility of Germany, Alstom of France, Hitachi of Japan, China’s CRRC, and Spain’s Talgo. Bidders must supply high-speed electric train sets capable of a 350 km/h design speed and an operating speed of 320 kph.

Meanwhile, Etihad Rail is introducing a passenger service this year using the rail lines comprising its existing country-wide rail freight network. Test runs for the passenger service, which will run at about 200 kph, have begun, and will extend to the Indian Ocean port emirate of Fujairah.

Furthermore, Ethihad has entered a partnership with the Italian high-tech firm IronLev for the purpose of introducing magnetic levitation for its freight trains on part of the UAE National Rail Network. Testing was carried out at the Al Faya Depot to assess if the maglev technology could work under real freight loading conditions. The test involved transporting a fully-loaded 7-ton container over a distance of 1.2 km using a levitating platform installed on the rail line.

Etihad operates a highly successful freight service that links the country’s major industrial zones and ports across the country.

The passenger service will connect 11 cities and reduce the travel times between major hubs that are reached primarily by road transport. The service is expected to carry some 36.5 million passengers a year by 2030, making a significant impact on regional connectivity and reducing road travel, which will contribute to a reduction in carbon transmissions, sustainable transport and boost economic diversity.

The country expects the introduction of passenger rail services to contribute AED 145 billion ($39 billion) to its GDP over the next 50 years.

Elsewhere among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are planning an electric high speed rail connection between their two capitals—Riyadh and Doha respectively. The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman.

The 785-km rail line will connect key stations and travel at speeds of over 300 kph, reducing travel time between the two cities by two hours. The project, which has yet to go beyond initial planning, is expected to service 10 million passengers per year and create over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Earlier this month, GCC Secretary General Jassim Al-Budaiwi said a project to connect railway networks between the GCC countries would begin in 2030. He said the project would expand mobility options in the region by complimenting air travel and road transport, and in some cases maritime transport.