EXCLUSIVE: Abu Dhabi moves on stalled rail project

Etihad Rail

Abu Dhabi has re-engaged with stakeholders for the design and route alignment for the upcoming phases of Etihad Rail, the UAE’s federal railway network.

This includes the rail project’s second stage, for which procurement was suspended in early 2016.

“We were told Stage 2 is no longer on hold,” a source who was present at a high-level meeting held last week tells MEED.

During the meeting, senior officials at the Abu Dhabi-based Federal Transport Authority and Fujairah Municipality primarily discussed the need for minor revisions to the current route alignment for Stage 3, which will link the railway to Fujairah as well as Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah.

MEED earlier reported that the client, Etihad Rail, met with stakeholders in late 2016.

However, neither the FTA nor Etihad Rail has officially confirmed reviving the procurement process for Stage 2 so far.

MEED understands securing funding remains a key issue for the succeeding phases of the scheme.

Etihad Rail suspended the procurement for Stage 2 of the 1,200-kilometre national railway in January 2016, following a 30 per cent employee reduction.

The main package for the 628km Stage 2 has been tendered twice. Two groups were believed to have been shortlisted in the first tender. They include:

  • Salini Impregilo (Italy) / Samsung C&T (South Korea) / Tristar (local)
  • China Railway Construction Company (China ) / Ghantoot Group (local)

Based on the original design, Stage 2 will connect the railway to Mussafah, to the ports in Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali, and to the Saudi and Omani borders.

Etihad Rail has been operational since late 2015.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is the offtaker for the railway’s first stage, which is used mainly to transport granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to the Mirfa depot in Ruwais, from where it is being exported. 

Related Posts
Optimising value from oil assets with tertiary recovery
Enhanced oil recovery represents the leading front for oil extraction capacity expansion in the Gulf Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Middle East took a leap forward in November with the ...
READ MORE
Growth of medical tourism in Dubai
Medical tourism is when a person travels to another country for medical care[1]. Key factors driving medical tourism are lower costs, better quality of care, lower waiting times, availing unavailable ...
READ MORE
Coronavirus blights Opec and non-Opec cooperation
Opec+ failing to deliver extra production cuts has not only stunned industry watchers, but has also dealt a severe blow to the grouping’s cooperation mechanism In the run up to the ...
READ MORE
Coronavirus executive briefing (31 May)
Understand the Covid-19 outbreak, its impact on the global and regional economy, and initial implications for specific sectors Click here to download the full document
READ MORE
Building resilient cities after Covid-19
Cities of the future need to be flexible, agile and responsive to challenges, says Arup's Huda Shaka The Covid-19 pandemic has been a test of cities and their capabilities to address the spread of ...
READ MORE
The case for environmental sustainability in the GCC
GCC governments have the chance to turn the region into a sustainability pioneer by regarding sustainable solutions as an opportunity rather than a cost Environmental sustainability is becoming the norm around ...
READ MORE
Egypt upstream gas exploration gathers speed
Rising output from the mammoth Zohr gas field, coupled with ambitions to augment its reserves, have helped Cairo regain its gas exporter status after a five-year hiatus Italian energy major Eni’s ...
READ MORE
Dubai construction on the front foot in 2019
Dubai’s construction market expanded in the first quarter and the emirate’s leadership has committed to future projects Dubai’s construction sector returned to positive territory during the first quarter of this year ...
READ MORE
Middle East faces major decommissioning challenge
Many oil producers are unprepared for the inevitable and expensive task of disposing of oil and gas facilities at the end of their productive life Exploitable oil reserves were first discovered ...
READ MORE
Middle East contract awards: September 2018
Egypt leads value of deals signed Egypt helped the Middle East record the highest value of deals let to date in 2018, with the country’s $7.8bn of contracts signed forming the ...
READ MORE
Optimising value from oil assets with tertiary recovery
Growth of medical tourism in Dubai
Coronavirus blights Opec and non-Opec cooperation
Coronavirus executive briefing (31 May)
Building resilient cities after Covid-19
The case for environmental sustainability in the GCC
Egypt upstream gas exploration gathers speed
Dubai construction on the front foot in 2019
Middle East faces major decommissioning challenge
Middle East contract awards: September 2018
28 November, 2017 | .By JENNIFER AGUINALDO