ETIHAD Rail has signed a strategic agreement with Keolis International to establish a 50:50 joint venture, Etihad Rail Mobility (ERM), which will be responsible for operating passenger trains in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Etihad Rail is to launch passenger services “at some point” in 2026, Keolis International CEO, Laurence Broseta, confirmed in an exclusive interview with IRJ. Services will operate initially between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where Broseta says demand is highest, subsequently extending from Dubai to Sharjah and Fujairah as service levels gradually ramp up in an initial phase.
The complete network will run from Al Sila in the west to Fujairah on the east coast, serving Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Al Dhaid. Journey times of 57 minutes are envisaged between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, 1h 45min from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah, and 1h 10min from Ruwais to Abu Dhabi.
ERM will operate the service using a fleet of nine seven-car 200km/h diesel trains supplied by CAF, each comprising two power cars and five coaches, and four five-car diesel trains from CRRC. Both types have capacity for 400 passengers in two types of accommodation: premium and economy. Delivery of these trains is underway and is set to conclude by the end of this year, Broseta told IRJ, with one train currently conducting testing on the network.
Keolis is already mobilising staff to work within the joint venture, including experienced professionals well versed in launching new rail services in emerging markets around the world. Broseta says a managing director is already in place and will be joined by others with experience of mobilising and launching new rail operations, reflecting Keolis’ expertise in this area. Keolis will also support with recruiting and training operational staff.
“By mid-2026 we will have a full team, with all of the staff recruited and trained,” Broseta says.
Etihad Rail is responsible for maintaining the UAE rail network and is currently working to adapt infrastructure for passenger operations, including connecting the new stations that it is building to the national network. Broseta confirmed that “some are nearing completion” and that the holding company will maintain and manage the stations once services are underway.
Keolis is also working to develop first and last-mile services, including through partnerships with local transport providers as well as providing its own premium shuttle services. Work is similarly underway to develop an app that will provide Mobility as a Service (MaaS) functionality with journey planning and a booking system.
The partnership with Keolis mirrors the agreement Etihad Rail had with German Rail (DB) in the early years of operating the first phase of its freight network in the UAE. While the partnership with Keolis was officially signed during this week’s Global Rail event, hosted by Etihad Rail in Abu Dhabi, Broseta says discussions over a possible joint venture go back many years, with an official collaboration agreed “a few weeks ago,” enabling Keolis to start mobilising staff to work on the project.
She says Keolis will draw on its experience of launching operations on recent metro projects in Hyderabad in India and Rennes in France. She also points to the company’s experience of operating commuter networks in Boston in the United States and Adelaide in Australia. Keolis also operates the Dubai metro under a 15-year contract that began in September 2021.
She also hinted at the possibility of the joint venture expanding its activities once the passenger services are operational.
“We have the ambition to develop other opportunities together with Etihad Rail,” Broseta says. “Here in region, but also potentially outside of the region.”
