meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

The UAE’s first passenger railway stations revealed

2 September 2024

 

Register for MEED's 14-day trial access 

The location of Etihad Rail’s conventional speed main passenger stations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah can be revealed for the first time.

The specific locations of each station are:

  • Dubai: behind the Jumeirah Golf Estates metro station on the Red Line
  • Abu Dhabi: along the pipeline corridor separating Mussafah Industrial Area and Mohammed Bin Zayed City, between Dalma Mall and Musaffah bus station next to Phoenix Hospital
  • Fujairah: parallel to Al-Hilal Street within the Al-Hilal City development

All three of the elevated stations are being constructed by China Railway International Group under a design and build contract, with China Southwest Architectural Design & Research Institute (CSWADI) and the local Jouzy Consulting Engineers as its design consultants.

Passenger hubs

The stations, together with the Sharjah University Station, will be the main passenger hubs for the conventional speed railway, which will travel at speeds of up to 200 kilometres an hour (km/h) along the existing 1,200 kilometre-long Etihad Rail freight track running between Al-Sila in the west to Fujairah in the east.

While the planned Fujairah station sits on the existing track, the Dubai and Abu Dhabi stations lie on two spur lines specifically built to serve them.

The former splits off from the spur line serving Jebel Ali Port at Al-Yalayis Street, opposite Dubai Investment Park, before running on to the Jumeirah Golf Estates metro station at the junction of Al-Yalayis Street and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. From there it will connect to the Dubai Metro Red Line.

The Abu Dhabi station will diverge from the main line between the two interchanges linking Skeikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan International Road with Al-Rawdah Road and Al-Umniyah Street.

The two dedicated spur lines serving both stations are being built by Etihad Rail subsidiary National Infrastructure Construction Company (NICC) and its subcontractor National Projects & Construction (NPC).

The spur line linking the planned Sharjah University Station and the main line is being built under a separate contract that was awarded in March to the local Tristar Engineering & Construction.

There are also understood to be several smaller passenger stations planned at grade level along the existing network, serving local traffic.

US-based Jacobs is providing overall engineering consulting and construction services for the client.

The precise locations of the three main stations on its conventional speed project have never been disclosed by Etihad Rail. However, with works under way on the spur lines and the station buildings themselves, there is now concrete evidence of their locations. Construction is expected to take 18-24 months.

High speed

The conventional speed passenger railway, using the existing freight network, is a precursor to the planned high-speed railway linking the centres of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Soil testing and early works have already begun on the multibillion-dollar project, while contractors were asked to confirm their joint venture groupings by late August.

The standard definition of a high-speed railway is for lines capable of running speeds of more than 250km/h. As such, much of the new dedicated track is expected to be either elevated or underground, in order to be as straight as possible, especially if its stations will be located at the heart of both cities.

Even if work were to begin immediately, experience from other high-speed rail projects globally suggests that the project is unlikely to be fully operational until at least 2030.

Read more: Contractors win Oman-Etihad Rail packages

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/12443697/main.jpg
Edward James

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Lebanon sets October deadline for power generation projects

    23 September 2026

     

    Lebanon’s Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has extended the deadline for private sector companies to submit expressions of interest (EoIs) for several upcoming power generation projects.

    The new deadline is 15 October. The original deadline was 30 September.

    The regulator said the extension follows “requests received from interested applicants for additional time to finalise and submit the required documentation”.

    The EoI covers up to five grid-connected solar photovoltaic projects with a combined installed capacity of 350 megawatts-peak. The projects are also expected to include battery energy storage systems with a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatt-hours. 

    The regulator is also seeking proposals for distributed dual-fired thermal power plants with net capacities ranging from 20MW to 100MW. The plants are expected to run on natural gas as the primary fuel and heavy fuel oil as a backup. 

    The ERA invited companies to submit EoIs at the beginning of August.

    On 11 August, the ERA issued its first set of clarifications following queries regarding the EoI. The clarifications confirmed that “proposed dual-fired plants should be gas-ready”, with natural-gas infrastructure planned but no implementation timeline yet available.

    The ERA also said key power purchase agreement (PPA) terms, including duration, tariff structure and indexation mechanisms, will be determined “during a future procurement process”.

    Electricity reforms

    The EoI comes as the government advances wider reforms to Lebanon’s electricity sector. On 4 September, the Higher Council for Privatisation and Partnership discussed steps to transform the state utility Electricite du Liban (EDL) into a company, including creating a new entity, transferring its assets, and taking measures to protect employees’ rights during the transition.

    The government said the restructuring aims to improve the financial sustainability of the electricity sector, recover costs and improve electricity supply. 

    On 18 September, the council discussed a draft decree to establish the new EDL company, evaluate its assets and separate its activities. However, it deferred a decision for further study.

    The ERA was established earlier this year, more than two decades after it was envisaged under Law No. 462/2002 but not implemented due to political delays. The Energy & Water Ministry and EDL previously oversaw the electricity sector.

    Lebanon’s electricity sector continues to face insufficient generation capacity, fuel supply constraints, ageing generation assets and limited grid flexibility. These challenges have led to prolonged electricity shortages and increased reliance on private diesel generation and distributed solar systems, prompting the government to seek additional private investment in new generation capacity. 

    According to the EoI document, the projects are expected to be structured as independent power producer (IPP) schemes. The competent public authority will determine any future contractual arrangements, including PPAs, under the applicable legal framework. 

    The ERA said the EoI is open to private investors, IPP operators, engineering, procurement and construction contractors, equipment suppliers and consortiums. It aims to assess market interest, identify potential generation projects, and evaluate the technical and financial capabilities of prospective developers. 

    Respondents must provide information on their technical and financial capabilities, proposed project locations, grid connection plans and relevant project experience. 

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19906210/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Jedco maps next phase of Jeddah airport expansion

    22 September 2026

     

    Jeddah Airports Company (Jedco) has outlined plans for the next phase of expansion at King Abdulaziz International airport (KAIA) in Jeddah.

    The programme comprises six upcoming contractor packages spanning airside works, terminal upgrades and utilities as Jedco advances its long-term expansion plans.

    The opportunities include airfield rehabilitation; a five-year construction framework covering multiple workstreams and facility types; a Terminal 3A (T3A) package; Terminal 1 (T1) optimisation; a fuel farm; and Concourse C works.

    The packages cover terminal buildings and ancillary facilities, runways, taxiways and aprons, hangars, fuel systems, airside facilities, supporting infrastructure and utility networks.

    Tendering and award activity will be staggered over the next two years. Airfield rehabilitation is targeted for Q3 2026. The construction framework is scheduled for Q4 2026 and will run for five years.

    The T3A package is planned for Q1 2027 and will be delivered under an early contractor involvement contract. Local contractors are encouraged to bid as part of a joint venture with an experienced international partner.

    T1 optimisation is planned for Q4 2027, the fuel farm for Q2 2027, and Concourse C – currently the latest of the six milestones – for Q2 2028.

    The new packages add detail to Jedco’s wider expansion plans disclosed in 2023, when it was reported that the company would invest SR115bn ($31bn) to increase KAIA’s capacity to 114 million passengers a year, with an overall completion target of 2031.

    Jedco has recently awarded several significant contracts linked to the airport’s upgrade programme.

    In November 2024, a joint venture of local Algihaz Contracting and Turkey’s TAV was awarded a contract to rehabilitate the South Terminal to serve Umrah and Hajj pilgrims, with Singapore’s Surbana Jurong acting as consultant.

    Earlier that year, Jedco also awarded France’s Alstom a contract to increase the capacity of the Innovia automated people mover at Terminal 1, including new cars and upgrades to signalling, communications and controls.

    Surbana Jurong is expected to play a leading role in future KAIA expansion plans and is currently providing technical advisory and project management consultancy for more than 100 capital projects for Jedco, valued at over SR6bn ($1.6bn).

    These upgrades are expected to boost KAIA’s annual capacity in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and National Aviation Strategy, enhancing the experience for domestic travellers and millions of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19877992/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Contractor wins $105m Medina university hospital deal

    22 September 2026

     

    Riyadh-based construction firm Al-Mansouria General Contracting Company has been awarded a SR396m ($105.6m) contract to complete the remaining construction works on the Taiba University Hospital project in Medina.

    The contract scope includes structural completion, remaining civil works, mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations, specialised clinical fit-outs and medical gas infrastructure to bring the long-stalled facility into operation.

    Located on King Khalid Road along Medina’s Third Ring Road, the teaching hospital will have a capacity of 563 beds.

    The contract duration is three years, with delivery targeted for late 2029.

    The latest award follows a prolonged procurement cycle that began more than a decade ago as part of a public budget drive to expand Saudi Arabia’s higher education infrastructure.

    The project’s first phase was initially signed in December 2011 with local firm Al-Muhaidib Contracting under a SR500m ($133.3m) contract.

    Groundbreaking for the eight-storey complex took place in July 2013. The project covers a gross floor area of more than 200,000 square metres.

    Progress stalled shortly thereafter due to reported structural delays and the reallocation of public capital budgets across the kingdom’s social infrastructure pipeline.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19870032/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Fourteen contractors bid for Oman dam drainage project

    22 September 2026

    Fourteen contractors have submitted bids for a major drainage project designed to manage flows downstream of Oman’s Al-Khawd Recharge Dam and strengthen flood protection in Al-Seeb, Muscat Governorate.

    The proposed works will manage flows downstream of the Al-Khawd Recharge Dam and reduce flood and erosion risks around Al-Khawd village and surrounding assets. The project site includes remote wadi reaches, with access constraints expected to affect construction logistics and temporary access arrangements. 

    Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Water Resources (MAFWR) is the project client.

    Bidders submitted their main contract bids on 14 September, with prices ranging from about $126m to $390m.

    The bidders and their prices are:

    • China International Water & Electric Corporation: $125.94m
    • Eksen Project Construction Tourism & Trade (Turkiye): $149.09m
    • Ozkar Construction (Turkiye): $149.71m
    • United Thumtait Lines (Oman): $149.80m
    • Portex Construction Industry & Trade (Turkiye): $154.67m
    • Galfar Engineering & Contracting (Oman): $154.80m
    • The Arab Contractors (Egypt): $159.70m
    • Yildizlar Grup (Turkiye): $172.03m
    • Hindustan Construction Company (India): $182.15m
    • Strabag Oman (Oman): $205.80m
    • AZ Engineers (Oman): $231.19m
    • Sarooj Construction Company (Oman): $232.33m
    • The Egyptian Contracting Company (Egypt): $239.25m
    • Al-Adrak Trading & Contracting (Oman): $389.93m

    The project scope includes a drainage network, channel lining and bed protection works, pipelines and concrete box culverts. 

    MAFWR appointed Muscat-based ARQ and Partners Consulting Engineers to carry out the design works in July 2025. The main contract tender was subsequently issued in May 2026. 

    Dam pipeline

    In parallel, Oman continues to advance a pipeline of major flood protection schemes across the sultanate.

    In August, MAFWR received bids from nine contractors to construct the Wadi Rijma flood protection dam (R2A) in Liwa, North Batinah Governorate.

    The Wadi Rijma dam project is one of four flood protection dams being planned in the sultanate to intercept floodwaters flowing from the northern Omani mountain range into the coastal plain.

    In June 2025, MEED reported that the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) had extended a $632m loan to the ministry to fund the construction of four major flood protection dams in the sultanate.

    The four projects are:

    • Wadi Al-Khoud Flood Protection Dam (AK01) in Seeb
    • Wadi Rijma Flood Protection Dam (R2A) in Liwa
    • Wadi Majlas Flood Protection Dam in Qurayat
    • Wadi Ahin Flood Protection Dam in Saham North

    In June, the ministry invited contractors to bid to construct the Wadi Al-Khoudh flood protection dam in Wilayat Al-Seeb, Muscat Governorate, reviving a project that had been on hold since 2019.

    The design review and supervision services contracts have been awarded for both the Wadi Majlas Flood Protection Dam and Wadi Ahin Flood Protection Dam projects.

    The contracts were awarded to local firms Al-Abraj Consulting Engineering and Atlas International Engineering Consultants, respectively. The main contract tenders for these projects are expected to be released by the end of the year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19868201/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Oman tenders Thumrait Industrial City infrastructure

    22 September 2026

     

    Oman’s Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has tendered an estimated RO15m ($39m) contract to develop infrastructure for Thumrait Industrial City.

    The tender was issued on 14 September, with bids due by 12 November.

    The scope covers site-wide utilities and services, including an internal road network, stormwater channels and culverts. It also includes installing sewerage and water networks, along with landscaping works.

    In addition, Madayn intends to build plug-and-play industrial units and a facilities building.

    The first phase of the development will cover about 120,000 square metres (sq m).

    Thumrait Industrial City is located in Oman’s Dhofar Governorate and spans an area of more than four million sq m.

    The project location is close to concession blocks, quarry sites and the Najd agricultural areas. It is positioned to attract industrial investments in sectors such as mining and minerals processing (including gypsum and cement), food production, and a range of light and general manufacturing activities.

    In March, Madayn said it is preparing to invest more than RO245m ($637m) to upgrade and expand infrastructure across its industrial cities between 2026 and 2030, as part of efforts to attract new investment and advance economic diversification.

    According to media reports, Madayn chief executive Dawood Bin Salim Al-Hadabi said the programme is part of an expanded, phased plan aligned with Oman Vision 2040 and the authority’s long-term Madayn 2040 strategy.

    The objective is to deepen Oman’s industrial base and spread growth across the sultanate’s governorates.

    Madayn said the pipeline comprises about 90 strategic projects to improve industrial-city infrastructure, extend serviced land and increase the overall ease of doing business for investors.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19866218/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal