Etihad Rail freight going the distance through Iran strikes

• 100-plus trips since conflict started
• Routes opened to keep goods moving
• Passenger rail project remains on track

Iranian drones have targeted ports infrastructure across the UAE but the country’s freight rail services continue to run as normal, its national operator told AGBI.

Fujairah port has been hit twice in the last three days, while strikes have also taken place at the Ruwais facility and Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port – all of which are served by Etihad Rail.

In the nine days after the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran, Etihad Rail’s freight division operated more than 100 train trips, transporting over 459,000 tonnes of cargo and 7,900 containers across the network, according to a statement last week.

The company said it had opened additional rail routes and redirected capacity to ports on the UAE’s east coast to keep goods moving. It also added five extra freight services to support the Al Ghail Dry Port rail terminal, south of Ras Al Khaimah City.

A spokesperson also confirmed that passenger operations, scheduled to open later this year, remain on track despite the conflict.

The continued operations come as the railway operator accelerated freight volumes as part of a broader government initiative to shift cargo from road to rail.

Each freight train can carry the equivalent of up to 300 heavy trucks along the 900-kilometre line, which has been fully operational since 2023, linking the Saudi border at Ghuweifat with the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.

“Last year we supported the reduction of almost 1.1 million [road] trips in the country. The goal is to double it,” Etihad Rail Freight chief executive Omar Alsebeyi told AGBI in an exclusive interview just before the outbreak of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

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Omar Alsebeyi: ‘Trucks could not do these kinds of numbers’

The fleet of trains on the line complete as many as 400 journeys per week, transporting aggregates, petrochemical polymers and general cargo in shipping containers.

Alsebeyi said the service is transporting aggregates at its absolute capacity, with 10 million tonnes carried in 2025. Almost 5 million tonnes of limestone, used in construction, was taken from the port in Fujairah and the plan is to double that this year. 

About 6.5 million tonnes of sulphur for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) was transported from energy and processing sites Shah and Habshan, and 145 containers were moved.

“Trucks could not do these kinds of numbers, but they are complementing us with the last-mile delivery,” he said.

Further reading:

• Etihad Rail unveils new stations ahead of 2026 launch
• Etihad Rail to open terminal at Jebel Ali port this month
• Rail to do heavy lifting for GCC in age of flying taxis

Etihad Rail’s 900km rail network will extend across the entire UAE, encompassing Khalifa Port, Dubai Industrial City, Jebel Ali Port and Fujairah Port.

“We don’t stop looking into connecting with other ports and other industrial zones,” said Alsebeyi.

Work to connect Al Ain in Abu Dhabi with Oman’s Sohar Port is 30 percent complete. The cross-border rail line, known as Hafeet Rail, is a joint venture between Etihad Rail, Oman Rail and Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala Investment Company.

“We see ourselves expanding to new ports in the whole region as well as the UAE. To serve every port operator, every shipping line coming in,” said Alsebeyi.

Even as the regional conflict unsettles trade routes across the region, officials say long-term plans to expand the network remain unchanged. 

The strategy is to keep building links between ports, industrial zones and neighbouring countries, betting that rail will become an even more important backbone for Gulf logistics once regional tensions ease.