en.Wedoany.com Reported - The UAE's first passenger railway, the Etihad Rail passenger service, commenced trial operations on June 30, with the initial launch of the Abu Dhabi to Fujairah route, marking the official start of the UAE's railway passenger era.

It is reported that the entire journey on the initial Abu Dhabi to Fujairah route takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Dubai Station and Zayed Station will officially open on September 30 this year; Zafra Station is scheduled to begin operations on December 30; and Sharjah Station will open on March 30, 2027, by which time the entire passenger railway line will be fully completed.

As one of the largest infrastructure projects in the UAE in recent years, the Etihad Rail passenger railway will connect 11 cities and regions across the seven emirates of the UAE, with a total of 11 passenger stations.

By 2030, the total passenger volume of the railway is expected to reach 36 million person-trips. Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, Zeng Jixin, stated that the Etihad Rail station project is a landmark achievement of high-quality China-UAE cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, providing a successful example for deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership and promoting practical cooperation in various fields.

During the construction of the Etihad Rail passenger railway, multiple Chinese enterprises participated in the project, including China Railway International, CRRC, PowerChina, and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

Yu Hao, project leader of China Railway International, stated that builders will fully leverage their advantages in the entire industrial chain of infrastructure construction to create more demonstration projects of China-UAE infrastructure cooperation.