UAE’s Etihad Rail signs its biggest commercial partnership to date with Western Bainoona Group

Dubai: Etihad Rail, the builder of UAE’s National Rail Network, has forged a partnership with Western Bainoona Group, an Abu Dhabi based road construction company. It will deliver rail freight services to the Group for their construction materials from Western Bainoona Group's facilities in Fujairah to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

This is one of Etihad Rail’s largest commercial deals for Stage Two of the rail project. As much as 4.5 million tonnes of Western Bainoona Group’s needs will be transported annually on 643 trains from facilities in Fujairah to logistics hubs in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD) and Dubai Industrial City.

“The network will enhance the capacity of companies operating across the UAE,” said Mohammed Khalfan Al Hameli, Chairman of Western Bainoona Group. “Companies can develop their business by redirecting assets and reducing transportation costs, efficiently utilising their time and resources to become active players in the development of the UAE.”

The length of each train will be around one kilometre. Etihad Rail is allocating 70 wagons for each train, with an approximate capacity of 7,000 tonnes per trip. The partnership will reduce road traffic by 120,000 truck trips annually.

Mohamed Al Marzooqi, Executive Director of Rail Relations Sector at Etihad Rail said, “Etihad Rail delivers cost-effective and time-efficient transport solutions, reducing road traffic in the UAE. In doing so, we protect the environment in reducing carbon emissions. Additionally, we deliver significant benefits for the logistics, infrastructure, and transport sectors across the UAE,”