The first public railway in the United Arab Emirates was a section of the Dubai Metro opened in 2009. The Metro has since been extended and a monorail added; further extensions are proposed, as are trams and a metro for Abu Dhabi.
A much more ambitious project is a 1200km national passenger and frieght railway network, with possible international connections to Saudi Arabia and Oman. The first contracts for an initial 266 km freight line from the Shah industrial complex to Habshan and the port of Ruwais were let during 2011. The line will be built to standard (1435mm) gauge.
© 2004-2012
Glyn Williams
Flag image from CIA World Factbook
