Jebel Ali Port To Get Rail Terminal

Etihad Rail, the developer of the UAE’s national railway network, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DP World for the development of an intermodal rail terminal in Jebel Ali Port.

As per the agreement, DP World will oversee the building and operation of the loading and unloading facilities at the rail terminal, while Etihad Rail will construct the railway infrastructure and manage the rail services to and from the terminal.

DP World has already earmarked a potential plot for the intermodal rail terminal, adjacent to Jebel Ali Maritime Terminal 1 and close to Terminal 2, Etihad Rail said in a statement.

“The intermodal rail terminal at Jebel Ali will enable the more efficient transfer of containerised freight arriving at the port,” it said. “One Etihad Rail train will carry up to 260 TEU’s (twenty-foot equivalent container units), which, if transported by road, would require at least 130 trucks.”

“The shift from truck to rail transportation will reduce truck traffic at the port terminal and on the roads surrounding Jebel Ali while also being more cost effective for businesses over long haul moves,” it added.

The Jebel Ali intermodal rail terminal will have a capacity to handle the transfer of five million TEU’s per annum by 2030, the statement said.