Civil Engineering January-February 2022 | Vol 30 No 1

Civil Engineering January/February 2022 23 efforts in all sectors, including the environment, industry and tourism. The programme also aims to connect the emirates of the UAE and provide a reliable transportation system. The investments of the UAE Railway Program amount to AED$50 billion, 70% of which targets the local market. The programme will provide more than 9 000 jobs in the railway sector and supporting sectors by 2030. The programme also contributes to reducing 70% to 80% of carbon emis- sions over the next 50 years, a move that supports the UAE’s efforts to preserve the environment and achieve its goal of carbon neutrality. THREE STRATEGIC PROJECTS The UAE Railway Program includes three key projects; the first of which is the Freight Rail and includes the Etihad Rail freight services. The second project is the Rail Passenger Services, which aim to connect 11 cities with the UAE, from Al Sila to Fujairah. At a speed of 200 km/h the Rail Passenger Services will allow passengers to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes, and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes. By 2030, the number of passengers is expected to reach more than 36.5 million annually. The third project is the Integrated Transportation Service, where an in- novation centre will be established to ensure the integration of smart transpor- tation solutions. A network of light rail will be connected to the Rail Passenger System to facilitate transportation inside UAE cities. Additionally, smart applications and solutions will be developed to allow planning and booking of trips, integrating logistics operations, port and customs services, and providing integrated logis- tics solutions. The UAE Railway Program creates enormous economic opportunities amounting to AED$200 billion. The esti- mated benefits of reducing carbon emis- sions amount to AED$21 billion and road maintenance savings to AED$8 billion, in addition to achieving tourism benefits estimated at AED$23 billion during the next 50 years. Meanwhile, the public benefits on the UAE economy will reach AED$23 billion. ETIHAD RAIL Stage One (the commercial activity) of Etihad Rail commenced in January 2016. Etihad Rail has since transported more than 30 million tonnes of granulated sul- phur (the equivalent of around 2.8 million truck trips). Stage Two construction was launched in 2018, and 70% was achieved in less than 24 months despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Etihad Rail has continued to forge ahead and complete the project according to its clearly defined goals and comprehensive work plan. The project has seen the cooperation of 180 entities and more than 40 000 official papers have been issued. 27 000 people are working in more than 3 000 constructions sites across the country, achieving 76 million working hours.  13 12 8 5 3 7 18 21 6 4 24 1 23 10 26 16 2 7 17 2 22 9 20 19 11