In the early morning, departing from the old city of Ajman, you no longer need to be trapped by the traffic on the highway. Just board a comfortable train and head south, passing through the desert and towns, directly to the coastline of Abu Dhabi. This is not a distant idea, but a reality that is accelerating its implementation. Recently, Etihad Airways, the national railway operator of the United Arab Emirates, issued a tender announcement for the construction of a new passenger branch line in Hamriya, Ajman. This bidding document marks a crucial step forward in the connectivity of transportation in the northern part of the United Arab Emirates, and also brings Ajman residents closer to the "railway living circle".

Advancing northward, Ajman

This bidding adopts an integrated design and construction mode, and the bidding window will be closed on July 27th. The project will be led from the existing freight trunk line, covering roadbed, track laying, and modern passenger station construction. Once completed, Ajman will become the fifth emirate to connect to the national passenger network, following Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Fujairah. Although the freight lines in Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah have already been opened, the tentacles of passenger services have not yet reached these two places. The addition of Ajman means that the most densely populated northern metropolitan area in the United Arab Emirates is increasingly tightly stitched together.

Timetable finalized

The deployment of the passenger transportation network has a clear 'timetable'. On June 30th last year, the passenger route from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah began trial operation. Just a week ago, the official ticketing system was officially launched, and passengers can lock their itinerary four weeks in advance through the mobile app, official website, and call center. According to the established plan, by the end of September last year, the service scope had covered Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Daed and Fujairah; Extend to Aldavla by the end of the year; On March 30th of this year, Sharjah also successfully connected to the road network. Thus, this 1200 kilometer railway network will effectively connect 11 major cities and regions throughout the country, significantly reducing intercity commuting time.

New economic artery

As a core pillar of the UAE's "50 Projects" strategy, Etihad Railway has carried a significance beyond transportation itself since its establishment in 2009. It starts from Guwiffat near the Saudi border in the west and ends at Fujairah Port in the east, not only connecting the east and west coasts, but also linking industrial towns and logistics hubs along the way. This railway is not only a passenger transportation corridor, but also a major logistics channel. By reducing transportation costs and improving logistics efficiency, it provides solid physical support for the UAE to break away from single energy dependence and achieve economic diversification. In the future, with the completion of more road sections, steel tracks will continue to write a new chapter of prosperity for this land.Editor/Yang Meiling