On September 30, 2026, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a modern train station is about to be officially opened. On this day, the Etihad Passenger Railway Dubai Station and Zaid Station will be put into operation simultaneously, and the two core cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be officially connected by railway. Previously, the first phase of the Abu Dhabi to Fujairah route had been put into trial operation on June 30th, with a total travel time of 1 hour and 45 minutes. This is the first national passenger railway in the United Arab Emirates, and also a landmark achievement of the high-quality joint construction of the the Belt and Road.

Gradually laying out the national railway network

The Etihad Passenger Railway will connect 11 cities and regions across 7 emirates, with a total of 11 stations. According to the phased deployment plan, the trial operation of Abu Dhabi to Fujairah will begin on June 30th; Dubai and Zaid stations will be opened on September 30th; On November 30th, Liwa Station and Madinat Zayed Station were put into operation; On December 30th, the remaining stations such as Zaifra Station were put into use; Sharjah Station will be opened on March 30, 2027, and the entire line will be completed. By 2030, the total annual passenger volume is expected to reach 36 million. From June to March of the following year, the national passenger transport network puzzle will be gradually completed in five stages.

Deep participation of Chinese enterprises in the entire industry chain

Multiple Chinese companies are deeply involved in the construction: China Railway International is the main participant, CRRC provides passenger trains and core equipment, China Electric Power Construction is involved in the engineering construction, and China Civil Engineering is involved in the construction. The Chinese Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates said that the project is a landmark achievement of the high-quality joint construction of the the Belt and Road between China and the Arab Emirates. The project leader of China Railway International stated that the builders will fully leverage the advantages of the entire industry chain to create more demonstration projects for China Arab infrastructure cooperation. Keywords: Middle East news and information, railways, participation of Chinese enterprises

Market response exceeds expectations

As of August 3, 2026, over 70000 tickets have been sold within 34 days of the launch of passenger services, with passengers booking an average of 12 days in advance. The Chief Operating Officer stated that people are not just trying trains out of curiosity, but booking nearly two weeks in advance indicates that passenger railways are becoming an integral part of transportation. The infrastructure market in the UAE is entering the era of large-scale transportation, and the cooperation between Chinese enterprises in the UAE is upgrading from single point projects to network level cooperation. The demand for supporting services such as operation and maintenance, smart transportation systems, etc. will continue to be released. The comprehensive launch of the Middle East rail transit market provides another important market for Chinese enterprises after Southeast Asia and Africa.Editor/Gao Xue