Tag: Union Railway

On March 23 Etihad Rail, the operator of the UAE’s first railway network formerly known as Union Railway, unveiled its new dynamic corporate identity. Etihad Rail also revealed its future plans for the nationwide railway project and its phases of implementation. It announced that its first route will be completed in 2013 to transport the first shipment of granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais.

The network will include a freight and passenger rail line extending from the emirate of Abu Dhabi's Western region through Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman. Union Railway is also looking into the feasibility of building a high-speed passenger rail between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Bowker said, but plans are in the very early stages. The entire project is expected to take 7 years to complete, Bowker said.

The high-profile dispute over unpaid bills that has beset the Dubai Metro project will not deter international bidders for contracts on the nation-wide rail network, the CEO of state-owned Union Railway said on Monday. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) was locked in a standoff with the Japanese-led consortium building the Dubai Metro for months over unpaid bills that run into billions of dollars, which brought construction to a near standstill.