The Board of Directors of Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the national railway network in the United Arab Emirates, held a meeting chaired by His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etihad Rail, during which he approved the award of the tender for civil works for the package. D" of the second phase of the UAE national railway network.

Package "D" will link the ports of Fujairah and Khorfakkan at a value of 4.6 billion dirhams and extend over a distance of 145 kilometers. and population centers, advancing economic and social development, in addition to strengthening the transport sector in the country and making a qualitative leap in the movement of freight and the logistics sector.

The signing by Etihad Rail of the contract agreement with a consortium of the "Chinese Railway Construction Corporation" and "National Projects and Development LLC" was witnessed by His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Wang Jinsook, Vice President of the Chinese Railway Construction Company. Eng. Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, Zhao Dianlong, official representative of the China Railway Construction Corporation, and Eng. Hamad Al Ameri, General Manager of Wataniya for Projects and Construction.

His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed that Etihad Rail, by awarding Package D, is achieving an important achievement in its path to develop one of the most important economic and development projects in the country by providing a safe, modern and sustainable national railway network that meets the aspirations and future aspirations of our country, and supports Its position as part of the regional and global logistics and supply chain. Package "D" extends over a distance of 145 km, during which 15 tunnels will be constructed through the mountains with a total length of more than 16 km. With the network passing through deep valleys and adjacent to the stone mountains, 35 bridges and 32 animal crossings will be built.

Connecting the ports of Fujairah and Khor Fakkan to the railway network will provide the opportunity to transport up to two million containers, which will play an effective and vital role in promoting international trade.

Etihad Rail is expected to transport up to 30 million tons of building materials annually to its distribution centers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which will reduce the overall cost of building materials while reducing truck journeys on the road by more than 2,000 trips per day.

It is noteworthy that Etihad Rail has signed a contract agreement for Package A with a consortium of China State Construction Corporation Middle East LLC, and SK Engineering and Construction, and a contract agreement for Packages B and C with a consortium of two companies. Ghantoot Transport and General Contracting" and the "China Railway Construction Corporation" as part of its endeavor to complete the 1,200-kilometer national railway network, which is an integral part of the railway network in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.