Etihad Rail has signed a deal with the UAE Ministry of Finance and the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance securing the funding for Stage Two of the national rail network.

The developer and operator of the UAE’s national rail network, Etihad Rail has taken major strides in 2018, most importantly the completion of the preliminary designs of Stage Two of the project in preparation for the launch of tenders for civil construction works by the end of this month.

The Stage Two will extend 605 km from Ghuweifat on the border with Saudi Arabia to Fujairah on the east coast, to be followed by future route additions. The volume of goods transported will increase from seven million tons per year on Stage One to more than fifty million tons.

In 2015, Stage One of the project, which extends 264 km, was delivered, linking the Shah and Habshan gas fields in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi to the port of Ruwais on the Arabian Gulf, with a capacity of transferring 22,000 tons of sulfur granules daily; 20 million tons have been carried in total.

Etihad Rail said it was now in advanced stages of commercial and technical negotiations with an extended range of potential partners.

Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, and Riyad Abdul Rahman Al Mubarak, Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance, and Etihad Rail, signed the agreement in the presence of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Transport and Chairman of the Etihad Rail Board of Directors.

The ceremony took place on the sidelines of the second annual meeting of the UAE government to discuss development topics and which aim to unify government work as a single system at federal and local level.

On the agreement, Sheikh Theyab said: "The budget approval for Stage Two of the UAE’s national railway network reflects the keenness of our leadership to implement national strategic projects."

"This national project is a qualitative leap and establishes a new transport sector in the UAE. It achieves many benefits and advantages locally and internationally, connecting the emirates and linking industrial areas, boosting economic diversity and supporting economic and social development in the country," he added.

Sheikh Theyab said: "At Etihad Rail, we are working with a strategy to meet our mission and objectives. This project is part of our commitment to the UAE to help it achieve a leading position in transportation quality, In line with UAE Vision 2021, which aims to transform the emirate's economy into a competitive knowledge economy by transitioning to a knowledge-based economy, promoting innovation and research and development, strengthening the regulatory framework for key sectors, and encouraging high value-adding sectors."

"These will improve the country’s business environment and increase its attractiveness to foreign investment. This is why the national railway network serves as a catalyst for economic growth by connecting key commercial and industrial centers and providing a safe and reliable means of transportation for future generations," he noted.

"The company will be achieving a number of economic benefits, such as improving the transport and shipping sector in the UAE by linking ports, manufacturing and production points, and population centers," said Sheikh Theyab.

"The network will help to support future growth with a sustainable, safe, modern and cost-effective transport system, as well as contribute to reducing the number of vehicles on the roads, which will yield tangible benefits from both economic and environmental perspectives. By adopting global standards, the Etihad Rail network will improve the movement of goods and people by creating new trade corridors," he added.-TradeArabia News Service