The project is right on track!
It’s all aboard Etihad Rail, one of the largest infrastructure projects in the UAE, which will eventually snake across the UAE linking the Emirates to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with further plans to expand to all Gulf states.
And for your viewing pleasure, Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s National Rail Network, has released a fantastic video showing the track-laying progress between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Track laying on the rail line that connects Abu Dhabi and Dubai continue to progress. pic.twitter.com/IDLbOpFScn
— Etihad Rail (@Etihad_Rail) July 26, 2021
How cool is that!
The first phase of the project is already operational, while the second phase will extend across the UAE from its border with Saudi Arabia into Abu Dhabi and further Dubai and Sharjah into Fujairah on the east coast.
Eye on the environment
Obviously, as the track is being laid, there’s going to be a lot of environmental upheaval.
Enter The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) which is collaborating with Etihad Rail.
Together, both parties are implementing sustained environmental stewardship during the planning and construction of the Etihad Rail Project in the UAE.
Since the early stages of the project, the two entities have collaborated on a range of initiatives, including habitat conservation, animal protection, and rehabilitating native trees and shrubs across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in order to conserve UAE’s diverse natural heritage.
As part of such efforts, EAD and Etihad Rail are actively relocating native and high conservation value trees, such as Sidr and Date Palms, with over 550 Ghaf trees being successfully translocated and a further 590 trees planted.
Wildlife corridors along the nearly 1,200 km stretch of the railway line are being constructed with the integration of 95 animal crossings and culverts across the project.
“I could not be prouder to have partnered with Etihad Rail during the construction phase of the new railway,” Eng. Shaikha Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Environment Quality Sector at EAD said.
“Through diligent impact assessments and a flexible approach, on behalf of Etihad Rail, we were able to realign the railway to avoid our critical habitats, plants, and animal species.”
Both EAD and Etihad Rail have assigned a dedicated team of environmental impact assessment specialists, ecologists, air and noise scientists, as well as forestry specialists to manage complex review process for the project’s environmental studies.
They have also carried out extensive studies to understand species movement routes across the construction path of the project.
Image source Etihad Rail, The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Life
