Etihad Railway tracks (Image: Getty)
A massive railway line spanning more than 1,200 miles across barron desert is in the works, promising to transform six countries in the process.
The ambitious Etihad Railway project aims to link six of the wealthiest Middle Eastern countries – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.
This massive infrastructure project is expected to cost around £72 billion and aims to better connect the region.
The idea first originated in February 1981, when the The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was formed.
Initially focused on economic and political cooperation, the member states’ economies became heavily reliant on oil.
Members of the Gulf cooperation and the Council Summit (Image: Getty)
However, the 2008-2009 Great Recession exposed just how vulnerable that was making each nation.
In response, the GCC nations started looking for ways to diversify their economies, with the railway seen as a critical solution.
By connecting ports, manufacturing hubs and urban centres, the railway would help shift economic reliance from oil and gas to more diversified industries.
In 2009, the GCC approved the railway project, with construction beginnging shortly after. Once finished, the railway will stretch from the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf.
The first stage of the Etihad Rail, completed in 2016, covers 164 miles from Abu Dhabi to Ruwais, and the second stage began in 2020, extending the network by another 376 miles.
UAE skyline, Dubai (Image: Getty)
But building in the desert presents significant challenges. While the Gulf region is often associated with flat desert terrain, parts of the Emirates and Oman feature rugged mountains, complicating construction.
The hot summer temperatures also necessitate working at night, with temperatures still reaching 30°C.
Additionally, the shifting desert sands make stable foundations difficult.
However, lessons learned from other desert projects, such as those in China and Mauritania, have informed the design.
Etihad Rail’s trains include sand filtration systems and sand ploughs to manage the shifting terrain.
Rugged mountains in Oman (Image: Getty)
The first phase of the railway network focuses on transporting granulated sulphur, a byproduct of oil extraction, across 110 wagons daily.
Since 2021, Etihad Rail has moved over 30 million tonnes of sulphur, significantly reducing carbon emissions compared to truck transportation.
This is crucial for the UAE, one of the world’s largest carbon emitters. The railway also boosts the UAE’s sulphur exports, which reached $679 million in 2019, with much of the sulphur going to China, the largest importer
Stage Two of the Etihad Rail Network, which connects the UAE’s industrial ports and trading centres, is also underway.
A $408 million contract with China State Railways is facilitating the construction of 139 kilometres of rail.
Once completed, the railway will transport over 50 million tonnes of goods annually, further linking Gulf countries’ economies and enabling the extraction of valuable resources like gold, aluminium, and iron ore, especially in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Etihad Rail train (Image: Getty)
Dubai skyline (Image: Getty)
Early on, Qatar was excluded from the project, and the pandemic and fluctuating oil prices caused delays.
Despite these setbacks, the vision for the railway has evolved from ambitious to practical.
Once completed, the railway will also provide new job opportunities, with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE offering rail training programmes.
Public transportation adoption could also be a hurdle for the project. A 2020 survey found that 83% of UAE residents rely on cars, with only 13% using public transport.
Convincing people to use the new railway could be challenging in a car-centric culture.
Still, the railway plays a key role in the Gulf’s long-term sustainability and economic diversification goals.