Etihad Rail's Dubai station could link directly with Dubai Metro

Dubai: Etihad Rail has completed its first passenger journey, officially launching the UAE's national passenger train network and one of the most notable details to emerge isn't about the trains themselves, but about what happens before and after passengers step aboard.

The new Dubai station, opening September 30, is set to link directly with the Dubai Metro, effectively stitching the national rail network into the emirate's most-used public transport system.

Adhraa Almansoori, Executive Director of Commercial and Support at Etihad Rail Mobility, told Gulf News that the Dubai station sits close to the existing Dubai Metro station at Jumeirah Golf Estates, a proximity Etihad Rail is actively building on to create one continuous journey for passengers, rather than two separate transport systems operating side by side.

The two stations are just four minutes apart, and the passenger charter on the Etihad Rail website states that Metro and bus services will connect to the train stations.

"We will follow the same approach to last-mile connectivity that we established at the Abu Dhabi and Fujairah stations as we roll out our upcoming stations in Dubai and Al Dhaid. In Dubai, that could mean linking to the Dubai Metro, given how close the Etihad Rail station is to the existing Metro station, as well as connecting with existing public buses and taxis. Ultimately, it's all about providing seamless connectivity for our passengers," she explained.

For Etihad Rail, the metro link is part of a much bigger philosophy - that the passenger experience begins long before anyone reaches the platform. "It’s very important for us to understand that the customer journey doesn't start only at the train station, but it actually starts when they arrive at the station and leave the station," Almansoori said.

That thinking has already been put into practice in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, where Etihad Rail worked closely with local and government authorities long before launch to map out exactly how passengers would get to and from each station.

"What we mean by this is, what does reaching the station look like? Are we going to ride the buses, the taxis, the e-hailing companies, personal cars? So what we have here at the station is a variety of all of this," she explained.

The model now being prepared for Dubai's public transport integration was first tested at the Mohamed Bin Zayed City Station in Abu Dhabi, where Etihad Rail launched its own shuttle bus service, ferrying passengers to and from the station for just Dh10. The shuttle currently connects to three key destinations - the ADNOC Headquarters on Corniche Road West, the ADNEC Centre in Al Rawdah, and Reem Mall on Al Reem Island.

"In addition to the shuttle buses, we have also integrated with Abu Dhabi's existing public transport network – buses and taxis," Almansoori said. The Abu Dhabi station also features, Hafilat card top-up points for better integration to Abu Dhabi’s public bus network.

The Abu Dhabi and Fujairah station also features, dedicated parking, taxi stands, and pick-up and drop-off zones for e-hailing apps, along with a car rental service - all part of a deliberate effort to remove friction from either end of the rail journey.

Dubai's metro link on the horizon, Etihad Rail is signalling something significant - rather than positioning itself as a standalone network, it is angling to become the connective backbone of the UAE's transport system, one where stepping off the Metro could soon mean stepping straight onto a national train.