Etihad Rail signs strategic agreement with ADNOC
ADNOC to collaborate on the operations and maintenance of Stage One of the
national railway network
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 23 November, 2014: Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s national
railway network, has signed a significant Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Agreement as well as a
Construction Management Agreement with its long-standing partner, the Abu Dhabi National Oil
Company (ADNOC).
Signed by HE Nasser Ahmed Alsowaidi, Chairman of the Board at Etihad Rail and HE Abdullah
Nasser Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADNOC, the agreement involves the operations of Stage One
of the national rail network which connect Shah and Habshan to Ruwais.
Under the terms of the partnership, Etihad Rail and ADNOC will collaborate on the operation and
maintenance of Stage One as well as the transportation of sulphur on the 264km Shah-HabshanRuwais line from the two ADNOC sulphur granulation plants located at the Shah and Habshan sites
to the Sulphur Handling Terminal at the Ruwais port in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.
Over the next 30 years, ADNOC has undertaken to operate, manage and maintain each of its
facilities along the railway line. ADNOC will also be responsible for the loading of sulphur into the
wagons at each of the plants and the unloading of sulphur at the Sulphur Handling Terminal. Etihad
Rail will manage and maintain the rail facilities along the Shah-Habshan-Ruwais line and hold
responsibility for the carriage of sulphur from the transfer point at the plants to the transfer point
at the Sulphur Handling Terminal. The railway company will also handle the repositioning of the
empty wagons to the transfer point at each of the plants.
“As Etihad Rail’s first customer, ADNOC has been a core part of our success and achievements from
the onset,” said Nasser Ahmed Alsowaidi, Chairman of the Board, Etihad Rail. “Developed in line
with the UAE National Vision 2021 to drive the national economy, the rail network will deliver a
modern, safe, efficient and environment-friendly means of transport to the people and businesses
of the UAE.”
“It is an honour to work with Etihad Rail on first the construction and now the operations of this
strategic megaproject which will drive our country’s future growth and development,” said
Abdullah Nasser Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADNOC. “Rail will provide us with a faster, costefficient and reliable transport solution to move our sulphur shipments and allow us to significantly
enhance our logistics operations.”
In 2011, Etihad Rail and ADNOC had established a strategic partnership to construct the first stage
of the national rail network in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. Once operations are launched at
the end of this year, Stage One will enable the transport of more than 7 million tonnes of
granulated sulphur each year, carrying it from sources in Shah and Habshan to the port of Ruwais
for export.
Upon completion, the Etihad Rail network will span approximately 1,200 kilometres across the
UAE, transporting both freight and passengers. It will connect urban and peripheral communities,
facilitate trade, open up communication channels and foster economic development across all
Emirates in the UAE. The network will also form a vital part of the GCC Railway Network, linking the
UAE to Saudi Arabia through Ghweifat in the west and Oman through Al Ain in the east.
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Notes to the editors:
About Etihad Rail (www.etihadrail.ae)
Etihad Rail was established in June 2009 under Federal Law no. 2, with a mandate to manage the
development, construction and operation of the UAE’s national freight and passenger railway network. Being
built in three stages, the railway network will link the principal centres of population and industry of the UAE,
and will form a vital part of the planned GCC railway network across the six countries of the GCC.
Construction on Stage One is well underway, with services between Habshan and Ruwais already operational
on a testing basis since September 2013, and the sleeper factory in Mirfa fully functional. Tendering is in
progress for Stage Two, which will connect the railway to Mussafah, Khalifa and Jebel Ali ports and will see
the railway extend to the Saudi and Omani borders.
To date, Etihad Rail has signed more than 20 Memorandums of Understanding with a number of customers
throughout the Emirates – in industries ranging from petrochemicals and agriculture to aggregates and waste
– all of whom recognise rail as the preferred mode of transport for their goods.
Built to international standards, Etihad Rail’s state-of-the-art network will span approximately 1,200 km,
acting as a catalyst for economic growth and sustained social development. Upon completion, the railway will
redefine logistics and transport in the region, providing a modern, safe, efficient and sustainable mode of
transport that will connect all regions of the UAE to its neighbouring GCC countries.
Media Contact:
Etihad Rail Communications team
Tel: +971 2 4999 712
Email: communications@etihadrail.ae
Website: www.etihadrail.ae