Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, has completed excavation of the longest tunnel in the Gulf region.
Running for 1.8km, the tunnel is part of Package D on Stage Two of the railway project which runs for 145km from Dubai and Sharjah, through the Al Hajar Mountains, toward the emirate of Fujairah.
The package includes the construction of nine tunnels through the mountains at a cumulative length of 6.9km, and additionally includes 54 bridges and 20 animal crossings.
The achievement is an significant step for the project’s development in 2021, the company said in a statement. The route passes through some of the most complex topographical areas in the construction of the network.
Tunnel excavation required 300,000 working hours to complete, with over half a million tonnes of stone being removed, it added.
Etihad Rail said the UAE National Rail Network is being constructed on schedule. Track laying recently commenced at Saih Shuaib, the rail head for track running toward Abu Dhabi and Dubai as part of Stage Two.
The overall track on Stage Two will run from Ghuweifat on the border of Saudi Arabia to the emirate of Fujairah on the UAE’s eastern seaboard. At the beginning of 2021, track laying began in the Al Dhafra region toward the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia.
Etihad Rail has successfully completed Stage One of the network which spans 264km, transporting granulated sulphur from sources at Shah and Habshan to the export point at Ruwais.
Stage Two links the UAE and Saudi Arabia from Fujairah Port to Ghuweifat through Mussafah, Khalifa Port and Jebel Ali Port. Once completed, the network will span approximately 1,200km, acting as a catalyst for economic growth and sustained social development.
Follow us on
