Etihad Rail is set to undertake the largest railway project in the UAE, aiming to connect all seven emirates by 2030 with a comprehensive rail network. The unofficial name for this mega-project is “Sanpiercer.”
Stretching 1,200 kilometers, the railway will link 11 cities and towns, running from the Al Sila emirate near the Saudi Arabian border to Fujairah. Key cities along the route will include Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Sharjah, Al Dhaid, and Abu Dhabi.
According to Ahmed Al Musawa, CEO of Oman & Etihad Rail Co, the primary goal of the project is to reduce travel times, enabling passengers to more efficiently plan trips between the emirates and cities. Once completed, the new railway will allow journeys such as Abu Dhabi to Dubai in just 50 minutes, Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes, Dubai to Fujairah in 50 minutes, and Abu Dhabi to Ruwais in about 70 minutes.
In February 2023, Oman Rail and Etihad Rail, along with Mubadala, agreed to construct a 303-kilometer railway linking the UAE and Oman. Upon completion, the route from Sohar in Oman to Abu Dhabi will take just 100 minutes. There are also plans to extend the railway westward to the borders of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, UAE authorities recently signed an agreement with Jordan to build a 360-kilometer railway connecting the two countries.
