UAE National Rail Network Connects Abu Dhabi with Dubai

Dubai Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Chairman of Etihad Rail Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the rail network. (WAM)
Dubai Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Chairman of Etihad Rail Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the rail network. (WAM)
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UAE National Rail Network Connects Abu Dhabi with Dubai

Dubai Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Chairman of Etihad Rail Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the rail network. (WAM)
Dubai Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Chairman of Etihad Rail Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the rail network. (WAM)

The UAE completed the railway directly linking Abu Dhabi with Dubai as part of Etihad Rail to connect the rest of the Emirates with an integrated railway network.

The railway track marks the start of a new phase of logistic and economic integration between the two emirates and in preparation for linking the rest of the emirates to an integrated national railway network in the UAE.

The completion of the central railway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai comes within the framework of "The UAE Railway Program," which was launched as a part of the Projects of the 50, with an investment worth $13.6 billion.

The UAE Railway Program includes a national network of railway projects that would link the seven emirates. It is expected to create economic opportunities amounting to $54.4 billion.

Dubai Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, stressed that the Railway Program reflects UAE's ambitions and aspirations to start the next 50 years with substantial development projects that enhance its position as a leading regional and global hub in the sectors of trade, economy, and logistics services.

Sheikh Maktoum noted that the completion of the central railway of the Rail Network project between Dubai and Abu Dhabi represents a pivotal phase that shows the great benefits of this national project in linking all the emirates of the country and boosting transportation between industrial and economic centers and facilitating transportation within the UAE.

"The economic effects of linking Abu Dhabi and Dubai via the 'UAE National Rail Network' will extend for many years," Sheikh Maktoum was quoted by the WAM state news agency.

Chairman of Etihad Rail Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the importance of completing the central railway of the National Network connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Sharjah, joining the cities and industries to a safe and sustainable rail network.

"The completion of the main railway will enhance the strategic position of the project at the transport and infrastructure levels, and contributes to the promotion of sustainable development in the UAE, and the consolidation of its position to remain in the first ranks at the regional and global levels."

The railway of 256 km is designed based on the highest international standards and specifications concerned with environmental aspects, safety, and quality, which will play a pivotal role in developing the UAE National Rail Network, facilitating goods transportation within the UAE, and reducing transportation costs.

The railway includes 29 bridges, 60 crossings, and 137 drainage channels. The total excavation and backfill work amounted to 46 million cubic meters, with 13,300 workers recording more than 47 million working hours.

At a 200 km/h, the project will connect 11 cities within the UAE, where passengers can travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes.



German Central Bank Chief: US Tariffs Would Eat Up German Growth in 2025

President of the Bundesbank, Dr Joachim Nagel, speaks during an interview at the G20 finance meeting in Durban, South Africa, on July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Rogan Ward
President of the Bundesbank, Dr Joachim Nagel, speaks during an interview at the G20 finance meeting in Durban, South Africa, on July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Rogan Ward
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German Central Bank Chief: US Tariffs Would Eat Up German Growth in 2025

President of the Bundesbank, Dr Joachim Nagel, speaks during an interview at the G20 finance meeting in Durban, South Africa, on July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Rogan Ward
President of the Bundesbank, Dr Joachim Nagel, speaks during an interview at the G20 finance meeting in Durban, South Africa, on July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Rogan Ward

The Bundebank expects growth of 0.7% in Germany in 2026 but this could be eaten up if US tariffs of 30% threatened by President Donald Trump were implemented, the central bank's President Joachim Nagel told Reuters in an interview.

“If tariffs materialize in August, a recession in Germany in 2025 cannot be ruled out,” Nagel said in Durban, South Africa, where the meeting of G20 finance chiefs is taking place on Thursday and Friday.

The 30% tariff on European goods threatened by Trump would, if implemented, be a game-changer for Europe, wiping out whole chunks of transatlantic commerce and forcing a rethink of its export-led economic model.

“The outlook for the German economy has just improved, especially due to the fiscal program that has been announced and is now being implemented by the German federal government, which also sets the right accents: investments in infrastructure, in future technologies,” Nagel said. “But this uncertainty could significantly weaken a positive outlook.”

Also, German Finance Minister Klingbeil told Reuters on Thursday that the European Union should find solutions to its finances without using common borrowing.

Klingbeil said the EU had joint debt in the last few years, but that was in a crisis situation during the COVID pandemic, he said in an interview on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Durban, South Africa.

“Overall, we need to resolve the finances of the EU differently than through a policy of joint debt,” he said.

“Fortunately, we are not in such a crisis right now,” he added.