Etihad Rail finishes laying tracks in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah

Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE national rail network, has completed the tracklaying works of the main line in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, according to WAM, the UAE state-owned news agency.

The work is part of the last package of stage two of the project. The main line extends from Ghuweifat, on the border of Saudi Arabia, and passes through Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Etihad Rail is currently working on tracklaying in Fujairah, which will likely be completed in the upcoming weeks.

The line in Sharjah extends over 45 kilometres (km) and is part of the last package of the project, which is 145 km in length.

Moreover, connecting Sharjah to the main line took more than 11.7 million work hours in 25 months. Around 2,900 workers and engineers participated in the project, which involved the track laying works and running quality checks for the new line.

The line in Ras Al Khaimah, which extends over 5.7 km and connects the emirate to the main line, recorded more than 1.3 million hours in 25 months by around 350 workers and engineers.

In May 2022, Etihad Rail commenced track-laying operations of the stage two package.

The line in the last package has 54 bridges and 20 animal crossings. It has nine tunnels extending over 6.9 km along Al Hajar Mountains, including the longest GCC tunnel for heavy cargo that extends over 1.8 km, the statement said.