Ministers, global CEOs, innovators, and industry professionals from more than 100 nationalities are expected to attend
Etihad Rail recently hosted a press conference to announce the speaker line-up for Global Rail 2025, the region’s largest mobility and transportation exhibition, to take place in Abu Dhabi from 30 September to 2 October.
The announcement includes confirmed participation from government ministers, global CEOs, and senior transport leaders from over 100 nationalities.
Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and with the support of HH Sheikh Theyab Bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Etihad Rail, Etihad Rail will host Global Rail 2025 in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI).
Among the speakers at the press conference were HE Sheikh Nasser Al Qasemi, Assistant Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Transport at MoEI; Ahmed Al Musawa Al Hashemi, CEO, Hafeet Rail and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Global Rail; Salman Abou Hamzeh, Senior Vice President, dmg events, along with Kholoud Almazrouei, Director, Special Projects, Etihad Rail.
Landmark event
The landmark event will bring together the international transport community from across the entire value chain, to advance cross-border collaboration and innovation in mobility, logistics and infrastructure. The event is expected to welcome over 20,000 participants across three days of strategic dialogue, project showcases, and technical exchange.
This year’s exhibition will span 4 halls, featuring more than 200 exhibiting companies and brands across 14 sectors, from infrastructure and rolling stock to digital innovation, financing, and smart mobility.
More than 70 companies are exhibiting for the first time, joining 11 national rail operators including Etihad Rail, Hafeet Rail, Qatar Rail, Korea Railways Corporation, India Railways, East Japan Railways, ONCF Chad, Afghanistan Railways, Jordan Hejaz Railway, Renfe Operadora, and Keolis.
Together, they reflect the extraordinary growth and international standing that Global Rail has achieved in just its second edition. Furthermore, Global Rail 2025 will convene businesses with a combined annual turnover of over US$ 140bn, underscoring the event’s pivotal role in the global transport industry.
Surge in passenger traffic
With global passenger traffic expected to reach 9.5bn by the end of 2025, Global Rail represents a unique opportunity to ignite future-forward dialogue, collaboration, and transformation across the transportation industry.
The theme of this edition, ‘Driving the Future of Transport and Global Connectivity’, reflects Global Rail 2025’s mission to act as a bridge that will drive global conversations on accelerating multimodal mobility, forging infrastructure partnerships, and shaping the future of sustainable transport.
Large UAE contingent
Confirmed ministers and senior officials attending Global Rail 2025 include more than 20 ministerial delegations and senior leaders from the public and private sectors in the UAE, including HE Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf’; HE Suhail Mohamed AlMazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, UAE; Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, UAE; HE Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, UAE and HE Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport
Ministers, senior officials and bureaucrats from over 20 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa are also expected to attend.
Alongside government-level participation, the event will also feature speakers from leading transport, logistics and infrastructure companies, including AECOM, Alstom, Asyad, Bayanat, CAF, DB E.C.O. Group, DP World, Jacobs, Hitachi Rail, Keolis, MTR Corporation, SAR, SBS Transit, Siemens Mobility, Škoda Group, and Talgo.
Strategic and Technical Conferences
Global Rail 2025 will feature two world-class conferences — Strategic and Technical — spanning three days of panel discussions, case studies, fireside chats, and exclusive project insights, with 200 speakers confirmed to participate across both conferences.
The Strategic Conference will host 55+ expert-led sessions, covering themes such as high-speed rail project delivery, intermodal operations, sustainable financing, policy and governance, interoperability and network harmonization, AI and automation, and future city planning.
The Technical Conference will complement these discussions with expert-led sessions on engineering, digitalization, rolling stock, asset management, and operational innovation, featuring global experts, research institutions, and pioneering R&D.
Global Rail Innovation Award
The event will also celebrate the second edition of the Global Rail Innovation Award, a flagship initiative offering an AED 1mn (US$ 227300) grant to accelerate transformative solutions in transport, mobility, and logistics.
This year, the award received 242 entries, more than three times last year’s total, reflecting the award’s growing reputation as a launchpad for innovation in transport and mobility.
The event will conclude with a major announcement and investment designed to further cement the UAE’s role at the global forefront of mobility, ensuring momentum continues beyond Abu Dhabi.
