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Ralph Jennings

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has started trial runs of its first passenger railway following project work by several state-run Chinese contractors, as China sees the project advancing its broader goal of connecting countries across Eurasia, state media and an analyst said.
Etihad Rail, which entered its trial phase on Tuesday, is expected to reduce travel times in the oil-rich country.
The railway service would begin on a section of track between the capital Abu Dhabi and the eastern emirate of Fujairah, a 105-minute trip, according to a Chinese official Xinhua News Agency report from the UAE.
The whole 11-city network, including the global financial hub Dubai, is due to be completed in March, Xinhua said. Media outlets in the UAE said the railway service would run 13 trains, each with enough seating for 400 passengers and speeds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph).
Xinhua projected that UAE railway passengers would number 36 million by 2030.

State-owned firms China Railway International Group, CRRC Corp, Power Construction Corp of China and China Civil Engineering Construction Corp took part in the project, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese firms showed “capabilities” in engineering design, construction and sustainable development, China Railway International Group project director Yu Hao was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Chinese participation advanced Beijing’s ambitions of transport connectivity between its own borders and other points in Eurasia, said Jayant Menon, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. China’s 13-year-old Belt and Road Initiative promotes this type of cross-border project.
Xinhua quoted the project director saying the UAE’s service would “improve future rail connectivity” across the Gulf region.
China may be keen on the railway work as well because it was sure the Middle Eastern country would not default on loans and it hoped the UAE would become a closer economic ally, Menon said.
“I think China is in competition with the US and others to woo the Middle East as a strategic part of the world,” he said. Conflict in Iran this year has raised those stakes, he added.
Chinese trade ties with Central Asia and the Middle East are growing in light of the two regions’ natural resources and their links to the large European consumer market.
Zeng Jixin, China’s ambassador to the UAE, called the Etihad Rail a “landmark outcome” of belt and road cooperation between China and the recipient nation, as quoted by Xinhua.
The ambassador was quoted as saying the project reflected “the growing practical cooperation between the two countries under their comprehensive strategic partnership”.


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Chinese-built passenger railway debuts in UAE in boost to Beijing’s Eurasian ambitions

A Chinese-built passenger train during trial operations in Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates, on June 8, 2026. Photo: 
Xinhua

Two Emirati men on board the Etihad train in Abu Dhabi heading to Fujairah during the train’s inaugural trip on June 30, 2026. Photo: EPA

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Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi department of energy. Photo: Handout

A photovoltaic power station in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Photo: Xinhua

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) meets his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

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China’s top diplomat Wang Yi (centre right) meets Ali Mohammed Hammad al-Shamsi (centre left), secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council of the United Arab Emirates, in New Delhi on June 23. Photo: Handout

Economy

The whole 11-city network, including the global financial hub Dubai, is due to be completed in March, according to state media


The whole 11-city network, including the global financial hub Dubai, is due to be completed in March, according to state media.


Chinese-built passenger railway debuts in UAE in boost to Beijing’s Eurasian ambitions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The whole 11-city network, including the global financial hub Dubai, is due to be completed in March, according to state media

The whole 11-city network, including the global financial hub Dubai, is due to be completed in March, according to state media