On 25th January 2024, Etihad Rail operated the first passenger rail transport service on a mainline in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 250 km line between Abu Dhabi and Al Dhannah. The service was used by employees of national oil company Adnoc, based on a strategic agreement signed between Adnoc and Etihad Rail in December 2023. The project is part of a wider €13 billion (US$14 billion) railway network, which has also included freight transport since February 2023 and is over 1,200 km long. It connects four major ports and seven logistics zones from Ghuweifat on the border with Saudi Arabia in the east to Fujairah in the west. Public passenger transport is expected to connect 11 cities in the UAE. In June 2022, Etihad Rail ordered a fleet of push-pull trains from Spanish manufacturer CAF, which will travel at speeds of up to 200 km/h and have space for up to 400 passengers.
