Etihad Rail is the UAE's first national railway. The freight network — 900+ km connecting Ghuweifat on the Saudi border to Fujairah on the east coast — has been operational across all seven emirates since 2023, hauling granulated sulphur, aggregates, steel and containers.
Passenger services
The passenger network is targeted to deliver journeys of Abu Dhabi–Dubai in around 30 minutes and Abu Dhabi–Fujairah in around 100 minutes, with design speeds up to 200 km/h. Eleven stations are planned, including Al Maryah Central (Abu Dhabi), Sas Al Nakhl, Al Faya (Dubai outskirts) and stations serving Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. Phased opening from 2026 onward has been the project's stated guidance; civil works on station boxes and viaducts are visible along the route.
The Oman link and GCC integration
The Hafeet Rail project — a joint venture between Etihad Rail and Oman Rail — is under construction to link the UAE network to Sohar. Once complete, freight and eventually passenger services will run from the UAE to Oman's Indian Ocean coast. The longer-term GCC Railway plan extends the spine into Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
Trade impact
Etihad Rail reduces truck movements on the E11 by tens of thousands of trips a year, lowers logistics cost per tonne-kilometre for bulk freight, and de-risks the UAE's dependence on road haulage. For ports, the rail link converts Fujairah and Khalifa Port into more competitive transshipment hubs by giving them direct overland access to Saudi consumption.
Real estate read-through
Land near confirmed station catchments — particularly Al Faya between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and station-area parcels in Sharjah and RAK — is being repositioned. Industrial and logistics real estate adjacent to the freight spine has already re-rated. For residential, the most direct impact is the commuter case for Sharjah, Ajman and northern Dubai once the 30-minute Abu Dhabi–Dubai service opens.
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