Etihad Rail launches package A of Stage Two to connect Ghuweifat and Ruwais

The contracts were signed by Shadi Malak, Etihad Rail Chief Executive Officer, Yu Tao, President and Chief Executive Officer of China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East, and Hyuntae Nam, Vice President of SK E&C

Etihad Rail, led by His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Etihad Rail, approved Package A of the Stage Two tender award.

The contract was awarded to a joint venture between the China State Construction Engineering Corporation and South Korea’s SK Engineering and Construction.

The package includes all design and build, civil and track works of the 139km Package A of Stage Two of the UAE national rail network to connect Ruwais with Ghuweifat on the UAE border with Saudi Arabia. Stage Two, when complete, will run for 605km from Ghuweifat to the Port of Fujairah.

His Highness Sheikh Theyab said: “With the commencement of this first phase of Stage Two, we are reaching a major turning point in the transportation sector in the UAE and GCC. Pioneering and innovative, this initial link is just the beginning as Etihad Rail expands its network to improve all aspects of freight transport across our border and around the region, placing the UAE at the centre of regional goods movement as a global logistics hub.”

Etihad Rail is working diligently and efficiently towards awarding contracts for the rest of Stage Two.

Package A of Stage Two, valued at AED1.5 billion, will focus on the design and construction of rail infrastructure, including earth-works, bridges, tunnels, animal crossing, track-laying, and linking with Stage One of the network. The 139km route will feature standard-gauge double track that will be built using 1.3 million tonnes of ballast, over 400,000 concrete sleepers and 33,000 tonnes of iron rail.

When complete, the 1,200km Etihad Rail project will link the UAE’s principal centres of industry, manufacturing, production, population, and import/export points, forming an integral part of the GCC-wide railway network.