THE United Arab Emirates' federal government will fund the second phase of the country's railway network, which is set to be built by Etihad Rail, the company's acting CEO confirmed this week.
ETIHAD RAIL, the company responsible for developing and operating the railway network in the UAE, has signed a joint venture agreement with German Rail (DB) subsidiary DB Schenker Rail to operate and maintain the system.
DESIGN and planning of three extensions which will add 35.4km and 33 stations to Dubai's metro network is well underway, according to the acting CEO of Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) Rail Agency, Mr Abullah Yousuf Al Ali.
ETIHAD Rail expects operations to begin on its inaugural UAE railway project, the 266km line from Shan and Habshan to Ruwais, by the end of the year with construction almost complete and testing now underway.
THE first of 11 Citadis 402 low-floor LRVs for Dubai's Al Sufouh Tramway arrived in the United Arab Emirates through the port of Jebel Ali last week, and has been delivered to the line's depot in readiness for the start of testing.
SERCO is to continue operating and maintaining the 75km Dubai metro network until at least September 2019 after signing a five-year contract extension with Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
DUBAI Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has reportedly finalised plans for the extension of its two existing driverless metro lines with the aim of completing both projects by 2020.
DUBAI Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed a Dirhams 105m ($US 28.6m) contract with Serco, Britain, on September 14 for the operation of the Al Sufouh Tramway.
Richard Bowker, senior advisor at EC Harris and former CEO of Etihad Rail, UAE, tells Keith Barrow how Gulf States are rising to the challenge of building an interoperable regional network from the ground up.
THE first two of seven locomotives ordered by Etihad Rail from EMD arrived today at Mussafah Port in the United Arab Emirates. The locomotives follow Etihad Rail's first covered hopper wagons supplied by CSR, China, which arrived in December 2012.