GCC rail network on track, says Mazrouei
UAE minister tells of a plan to interlink Arab countries in the near future
The much-hyped Gcc-wide railway is still on track with all Gulf countries building their own networks. In the near future the 2,177km GCC Railway network can be interlinked with Arab countries too, a top UAE minister said in Abu Dhabi. So, passengers can continue to dream of a train travel from Kuwait City to Muscat via Abu Dhabi.
Inaugurating the 16th edition of Middle East Rail, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, the UAE’S Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, underlined that building of railway network by the GCC countries is underway.
“It is not a concept. It is happening as we speak. Each country is building their network,” the minister said in his keynote address at Adnec.
Al Mazrouei noted that an expansion of the GCC Railway to interlink Arab countries is possible in future. “We are aiming at the GCC to continue this dream of interconnecting our countries, where our citizens will be travelling throughout the GCC using our reliable state-of-theart railway network. And we are working with our brothers in the GCC, to build an interlink with Arab countries and expand the future GCC network. This will enable us to reduce the emissions but also control the cost in the future.”
Al Mazrouei lauded the keen interest taken by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in developing the rail network in the country.
The minister said that a reliable, efficient and sustainable Etihad Rail network is part of the UAE’S strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 70 per cent by 2050. He pointed out that soaring global energy prices, including fuel used for railways, is worrying, and countries need to ensure sustainability and efficiency.
“One of the main challenges the world is facing today is related to efficiency, sustainability and reducing emissions. All the countries
today are looking at strategies to secure their supply but also to use less and to become more efficient. We have found that here in the GCC and, especially here in the Emirates, that using or building a network of reliable railways is the way to go.”
UAE national smart mobility
The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, he said, is building a national smart mobility for the UAE. “It is enabling our country to be ready not only for the state-of-the-art railway network but also for autonomous vehicles, ensuring that we have the right infrastructure for it, ensuring
that we are reducing emissions, we are electrifying part of our transportation, as well as being ready for other technologies such as hydrogen cell cars.”
The minister hoped that once the Etihad Rail project is complete, apart from environmental gains, it will lead to less number of road accidents too.
“We are hoping that once we finish the network, we will be able to eliminate unnecessary cars or trucks from the roads, and that will increase the life of our roads but also reduce the number of fatalities from accidents that we are seeing,” Al Mazrouei added.