Still on track

Rail projects around the region will transform travelling for tourists, residents and freight.

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In the final week of June Abu Dhabi Freight and Passenger Committee opened its doors to prequalify for civil and track work for the first phase of the country-wide Union Railway project, among other contracts.

Construction and engineering firms that have an expertise in railways are likely to have taken note, and the wider market might also have remarked that it is a mega project in the UAE that is going ahead.

The Union Railway project, also known as Shah Habshan, will eventually make the country seem a much smaller place.

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The state of the art network will enable the rapid transport of passengers and freight, opening up new trade corridors and journey opportunities by connecting the seven emirates. It is part of the AED304.4 billion the biggest emirate has earmarked for transport infrastructure investments.

The planned system will be managed under the auspices of Union Railway Company, which was set up last July. Its board – which comprises representatives from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah including Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi of the Ministry of Public Works and Dr Nasser Saif Al Mansoori of the National Transport Authority – held its first meeting in October.

The railway will be a dual-track line stretching from the Ruwais oil and chemicals centre in Al Gharbia, the ‘western region’ of Abu Dhabi, to Fujairah, the eastern-most emirate.

It will also connect emiratis with Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat city and Oman via Al Ain in the east. The total investment for the project is estimated to be between AED25-30 billion, spread over five to seven years.

Such a project – just the start of the eventual plans for a GCC-wide railway system – is solid proof that the region’s countries would not cut back their investment in railway projects, unlike other parts of the world.

Suppliers to railway projects, including those selling track design software such as Bentley Systems, are confident that this is the start of something big.

“The whole railway system across the region is happening,” believes Nader Raslan, regional sales director. “Possibly some parts of the region will lag behind in their parts of the [GCC-wide] railway, but I don’t think the UAE will be waiting around.My gut feeling is that, even if it is not connected around the region, then it certainly will be within the country.”