Abu Dhabi: Noatum Logistics, an AD Ports Group company, announced the launch of its new rail logistics solution for the Middle East region on Tuesday. The latest offering was inaugurated with its first rail shuttle service launch between Khalifa Port and Fujairah Terminals. According to a company statement, the service complements Noatum Logistics’ integrated regional portfolio of freight forwarding products leveraging land, sea, and air transport.
The shuttle service, utilising the UAE's national railway developed and operated by Etihad Rail, is designed to enhance regional logistics capacity and offer more options for customers moving large volumes of overland freight.
The service will feature weekly departures, each capable of transporting up to 156 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) or 78 Forty-Foot Equivalent Units (FEUs) per direction via a single train. Depending on demand, the service can also include first and last-mile truck transport, providing customers with end-to-end connectivity, said AD Ports Group.
AD Ports Group says the new rail service offers significant cost savings and efficiencies over traditional road transport.
“It is highly scalable and ideal for transporting large volumes of bulk, containerised, oversized, and general cargo, especially over medium and long distances. The service runs on a dedicated rail network, avoids traffic, road bans, and tolls, ensuring more reliable delivery times and predictable logistics planning,” AD Ports Group stated.
Additionally, the service emits significantly less CO2 per tonne of cargo than trucking, supporting environmental sustainability.
Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO – AD Ports Group, said, “The inaugural journey of the first commercial train shuttle from Khalifa Port to Fujairah Terminals is a major milestone for our broader AD Ports Group family.” Al Shamsi added, “Serving as a key pillar of our multimodal transport network, the National Railway Network - developed and operated by Etihad Railway - not only links our strategic seaports and inland logistics assets but also serves as a springboard for our nation’s and the region’s future economic development for generations to come.”
The company said that, depending on regional demand, Noatum Logistics could increase the number of weekly departures on the Khalifa Port to Fujairah Terminals route and introduce new shuttle services across the regional rail network.
Qusai Kankazar, Deputy Managing Director, Noatum Logistics, Middle East Region, AD Ports Group, said, “We firmly believe in the transformative role that rail can play in providing our customers with a transport alternative that delivers on their key priorities, including cost-effectiveness, scalability, reliability and environmental sustainability. Combining the best rail and trucking can offer creates a win-win solution that benefits all market participants across our regional logistics network.”
