Abu Dhabi: Etihad Rail DB, the joint venture company between Etihad Rail, the developer of the UAE’s national railway network and Deutsche Bahn (DB) is set to provide ‘Shadow Operator’ services for Stage Two of the Etihad Rail project. The choice builds on the five years of expertise and Etihad Rail DB’s outstanding success in managing Stage One operations and maintenance.
In its ‘Shadow Operator’ role, Etihad Rail DB will aim to utilise its expertise and lessons learnt from Stage One to provide consultancy services to Etihad Rail in preparation for Stage Two. Services will include reviewing the design of Stage Two assets, developing Emiratisation requirements, drawing up operational procedures and safety management plans and assisting to ensure the project is delivered with the optimum operations cost.
Etihad Rail DB provides leading heavy freight transportation solutions to connect inland remote production sites and ports in the GCC and beyond. It manages the operations and maintenance of Stage One of the Etihad Rail network, transporting granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais. The 264km route facilitates the transportation of granulated sulphur from inland sources to the port of Ruwais for export. To date, more than 20 million tonnes of sulphur have been transported for the primary end customer of Stage One, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).
