UAE rail link to boost port logisticsUAE rail link to boost port logistics

The 264 km track from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais, will be used to transport state energy company ADNOC’s shipments of granulated sulphur for export at the port of Ruwais.

The company has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DP World, for the development of an intermodal rail terminal in Jebel Ali Port, for more efficient transfer of containerised freight arriving at the port inland.

HE Nasser Alsowaidi, chairman of Etihad Rail, said: “The securing of this loan represents the beginning of a new era for the UAE in trade and travel, through a transportation network connecting all seven emirates with our GCC partners.”

The five-year loan will be financed on a club deal basis by National Bank of Abu Dhabi PJSC (NBAD), Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU), Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) and HSBC Bank Middle East Limited (HSBC), with NBAD acting as both the facility and security agent of the loan.

HE Nasser Saif Al Mansoori, ceo of Etihad Rail said Etihad Rail is on schedule to seeing the first train run from Habshan to Ruwais by the end of this year.

Upon completion, the UAE’s national railway network will span approximately 1,200 km across the Emirates, connecting key centres of industry and population, and sustaining trade and social development. The Etihad Rail network forms a vital part of the GCC railway network.