Today's Edition
Mouza Hasan Ali Hasan Almarzooqi
Environmentally friendly transport is a civilisational shift in people’s lives. It is also a fundamental pillar of sustainable development. It reduces environmental pollution and carbon emissions that bring about climate change. The railway is one of the most energy-efficient modes of transport.
It is also more comfortable and safer compared to other modes. That is why many countries tend to invest in developing environmentally friendly modes of transport, including railways, as part of their transition efforts to a green economy.
The UAE has always been keen to develop its services to benefit its residents and visitors. It has always strived to improve the quality of life by improving the quality of transport throughout all seven Emirates, in line with the country’s future development visions and in accordance with environmental circumstances.
The Etihad Rail project is a significant step in this direction within the “Towards the Next 50” plan. To achieve a fundamental shift in the transport system that matches the economic development presently being witnessed by the UAE, the Etihad Rail project serves to link industrial and production centres, open new commercial corridors to facilitate the movement of goods, and create job opportunities.
The grid incorporates freight stations, distribution centres, and warehouses close to transport and storage centres throughout the country, with a capacity of up to 50 million tonnes. The benefits of this major economic project are not confined to the economic field.
At the social level, Etihad Rail facilitates people’s movement in a more developed working and living environment. The train can transport approximately 16 million passengers annually. Residents can now move between the capital and Dubai or Fujairah within a short travel time of 50-100 minutes.
In addition to all those advantages, the train relieves the road network’s burden and reduces harmful emissions trucks create. Carbon emissions would be reduced by 70-80%, making the transport sector more efficient and sustainable. A single train would replace 300 trucks that use environmentally harmful fuel.
The train project is a fundamental pillar of the UAE’s efforts to achieve net zero by 2050, given that the UAE is hosting COP28 to lead the world towards a better planet to live on and mitigate climate hazards.
The UAE National Railways Programme includes a national network of railway projects that would link the seven emirates and the key cities of the UAE, with an investment worth Dh50 billion.
With a total length of 1,200km, it is the largest land transport system of its kind in the region. The network extends beyond the geographical boundaries of the UAE to sisterly neighbouring GCC countries to form a part of an international network. It fulfils these countries’ aspirations for a unified link, strengthens the bonds between their peoples, and enhances joint cooperation plans and opportunities in every field.
The “Etihad Rail” is an important milestone in the UAE’s development march to achieve a sustainable future. It is the lifeline of development in the next decades. It boosts the competitiveness of the UAE and its attractiveness to investors within an integrated, environmentally friendly network of projects that serve the development process, as well as the prosperity of future generations.
