Etihad Rail: Abu Dhabi announces new passenger train service

Etihad Rail and ADNOC have inked a strategic MoU to establish a passenger train service between Abu Dhabi City and Al Dhannah region.

The agreement was signed at ADNOC Headquarters by Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Saif Al Falahi, EVP, Group Business Support & Special Tasks at ADNOC.

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Office of Development and Martyrs Families Affairs at the Presidential Court, and chairman of Etihad Rail, and Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and managing director and Group CEO of ADNOC, were present at the signing ceremony.

Dr Al Jaber said: “In line with our leadership’s directives to enable a sustainable and lower carbon future, this partnership underscores ADNOC’s commitment to supporting sustainable transportation solutions and infrastructure development projects in the UAE.

“It also highlights ADNOC’s drive to explore opportunities to strengthen partnerships and implement solutions and technologies that accelerate efforts to reduce emissions, as we work towards our Net Zero by 2045 target.”

Addditonally, the two companies will share knowledge and expertise.

Train service to benefit ADNOC staff and boost Etihad Rail operations

Through this partnership, ADNOC will provide the opportunity for its employees to travel between Abu Dhabi and Dhannah via the railway network in the future.

The collaboration will enable new areas of cooperation with other companies to support Etihad Rail’s national operations.

It will also serve as an important benchmark for other companies exploring opportunities to leverage the National Rail Network.

In other news, in February last year, Etihad Rail signed a green loan agreement with First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) for the financing of railway passenger services, with a total value of Dhs1.99bn.

It signed another agreement in June 2022 with Spain’s CAF company for designing, manufacturing, supplying, and maintaining passenger trains for the Etihad Rail project, valued at Dhs1.2bn.

The number of passengers served by the rail company is expected to reach over 36.5 million annually across the country by 2030.

Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed has attended the signing of a strategic partnership between Etihad Rail and ADNOC. The partnership will advance UAE sustainable development goals, further developing the national rail network by connecting Abu Dhabi City to Al Dhannah. pic.twitter.com/1V8MEVzARk

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) November 29, 2023

Etihad Rail announced in February that its freight network was fully operational. It can transport 60 million tonnes of goods a year.