Etihad Rail passenger service: 3 agreements to make train journeys seamless

Launching in 2026, Etihad Rail’s passenger service will join 11 cities and areas throughout completely different emirates, with trains carrying as much as 400 passengers at speeds of as much as 200km/h

Printed: Thu 9 Oct 2025, 6:00 AMUpdated: Thu 9 Oct 2025, 8:21 AM

Think about leaving your property in Abu Dhabi, hopping on an Etihad Rail passenger practice, transferring to the Metro, and persevering with by taxi to succeed in a gathering in Dubai, all with out juggling tickets or a number of apps. That future might turn out to be a actuality as quickly as subsequent yr, as Etihad Rail companions with a number of firms to create a totally built-in, multimodal transport community.

Journey planning

The UAE’s railway operator has signed an settlement with United Trans and Through to combine rail providers on journey planning app Citymapper. In an announcement made Wednesday, the three entities stated the partnership will make public transportation “extra accessible and engaging”.

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“Passengers will have the ability to plan seamless, multimodal journeys that mix Etihad Rail providers with metro, bus, on-demand transit, and micromobility, all in a single, intuitive app. Citymapper will present real-time info, optimised routing, and fare visibility, empowering riders to match choices, scale back switch occasions, and select probably the most environment friendly strategy to journey,” the announcement stated.

The collaboration additionally explores tips on how to complement rail with versatile, inexpensive first- and last-mile providers, making certain surrounding communities and employment hubs have dependable entry to rail with out counting on non-public vehicles, decreasing congestion, enhancing connectivity, and inspiring sustainable journey behaviour.

Azza Alsuwaidi, Deputy CEO of Etihad Rail Mobility, stated the settlement will assist ship a “seamless journey expertise that positions rail because the spine of the UAE’s public transport community”.

Experience-hailing

One other settlement, signed with know-how firm Yango Group, units out a framework to combine first- and last-mile ride-hailing options into the passenger rail journey.

Introduced in the course of the International Rail Transport Infrastructure Exhibition, the settlement will see each entities collaborate on operational alignment at and round Etihad Rail stations, supporting clear passenger pick-up and drop-off factors, streamlining automobile entry and exit, and introducing peak-hour site visitors administration methods to cut back congestion.

A second section will allow passengers to plan and guide full journeys, reminiscent of buying rail tickets by way of the Yango app or reserving rides immediately by way of Etihad Rail’s digital channels.

Dubai Taxi

One more settlement with Dubai Taxi Firm (DTC) will present built-in transport providers at Etihad Rail stations in Dubai. The settlement leverages Dubai Taxi’s fleet of taxis, limousines, and buses and consists of plans to handle congestion and guarantee clean passenger move.

By way of DTC’s partnership with shared mobility platform Bolt, passengers can seamlessly guide taxis and limousines immediately by way of the Bolt app. Etihad Rail will determine and facilitate probably the most appropriate station websites for automobile line-ups, buyer loading, and clean transport move.

Throughout the settlement signing, Alsuwaidi stated: “Along with our companions, we’re constructing a sensible and sustainable ecosystem that improves operational effectivity and helps the UAE’s imaginative and prescient for a extra related and high-quality way forward for transport.”