The agreement will see rail provide transport for construction materials across the UAE, from Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi
HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, was present at the recent signing of an agreement between Etihad Rail, the developer of the UAE’s National Rail Network, and Ras Al Khaimah’s Stevin Rock, one of the largest quarrying companies in the world.
Under the terms of the agreement, Etihad Rail will transport raw materials from Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi.
HH Sheikh Saud received Falah Mohammad Al Ahbabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, and a Board Member of Etihad Rail, in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saud Al Qasimi, Chairman, Ras Al Khaimah’s Public Service Department, and Munther Mohammed Bin Shakar Al Zaabi, Director-General, Ras Al Khaimah Municipality and Member of the Etihad Rail Board.
Signatories
The agreement between the two entities was signed by Shadi Malak, CEO, Etihad Rail, and Engr. Naser Bustami, General Manager, Stevin Rock, Eng. Naser Bustami.
This agreement is of considerable significance as the first in a series of commercial agreements for Stage Two of the UAE National Rail Network, which sees major organisations based in the UAE connected throughout the Emirates, via Etihad Rail’s highly anticipated national railway network, which stretches over 605 kilometres from Al Ghuwaifat on the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia in the west to the port of Fujairah on the eastern coast.
Long haul
An estimated 3.5mn tonnes of construction material will be carried annually from Stevin Rock’s Al Ghail quarry in Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi, through 500 annual train trips. Each train will measure one kilometre in length, hauling 70 wagons that will have a carrying capacity of 7,000 tonnes per journey. The agreement will have significant environmental benefits, with an annual reduction of 100,000 truck trips.
“Etihad Rail will ensure faster and more cost-effective delivery of construction materials, which in turn, we continue to deliver on our commitment to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions by decreasing truck movement on the roads,” commented Malak.
“Etihad Rail will provide a sustainable alternative to road transport, contributing significantly to Stevin Rock’s continuous efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Moreover, rail transport will allow us to be more competitive on pricing our products in Abu Dhabi,” stressed Bustami.
A global supplier
Stevin Rock, operating in Ras Al Khaimah since 1978, is one of the largest quarrying companies in the world, with a production capacity of over 80 million tonnes per year of limestone, dolomite and gabbro from three quarries.
Al Ghail facility
Etihad Rail began construction works on the Al Ghail facility, which is part of the freight facilities series the company is developing, in 2020 with the aim of providing transportation services from the quarries of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah to the rest of the UAE.
Customers of Etihad Rail will enjoy a wide range of integrated transportation solutions, be that in the movement of materials from production facilities to end-users, or export points, or to storage facilities provided by Etihad Rail.
The facility of Al Ghail will play a significant role in linking the UAE’s National Rail Network with quarries in Al Siji, Masafi, and Al Taween, enhancing transport of gabbro rock from Fujairah to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reducing hundreds of conventional road-based truck trips.
