Quick answer: the Etihad Rail passenger train is already running between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, with a journey time of 1 hour 45 minutes and fares from AED 55 in Comfort Class and AED 120 in Premium. The network officially launches on 30 September 2026, when the Dubai station at Jumeirah Golf Estates and Al Dhaid station open. Al Dhafra stations follow on 30 December 2026, and Sharjah completes the initial route on 30 March 2027. Abu Dhabi to Dubai will take about 57 minutes, trains run at up to 200 km/h, and tickets are booked through the Etihad Rail app and website.
Something changed on the UAE’s roads this summer, and you can feel it in the questions our guests ask. For years, the conversation in our transfer cars on Sheikh Zayed Road was about traffic: how long to Abu Dhabi, whether to leave before or after rush hour, whether the Fujairah mountain road is worth the drive. Since 30 June, there is a new question, and it comes up almost daily: “Can we take the train?”
For the first time in the UAE’s history, the answer is yes. Etihad Rail’s passenger service is live between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, gliding past the Hajar Mountains at up to 200 km/h, and in a few weeks the Dubai station opens and the network becomes genuinely useful for visitors. This is the biggest change to travelling around the UAE since the Dubai Metro opened in 2009, and it lands right at the start of the busiest tourist season on record.
Here is everything confirmed so far: every route and station with its opening date, journey times, ticket prices and classes, what it is actually like on board, and, most importantly, what it changes for how you plan a UAE trip. All dates and fares below come from Etihad Rail’s official announcements and UAE media coverage, and we will keep this page updated as the network grows.
What Is Etihad Rail?
Etihad Rail is the UAE’s national railway, established in 2009 to build and operate a network that now spans roughly 900 kilometres from Ghuwaifat on the Saudi border to Fujairah on the east coast, crossing all seven emirates. Freight trains have been running for years; the historic part is that Etihad Rail now carries people.
The passenger fleet is built for the job: 13 trains, each carrying up to 400 passengers, running at up to 200 km/h, with two classes of seating, onboard dining and Wi-Fi. Once the full network matures, the aim is to connect 11 cities and regions and carry tens of millions of passengers a year. For travellers, the practical translation is simple: the UAE’s main cities and its wilder east coast are becoming a single, easy day-trip map.
The Rollout: Every Confirmed Date
The network is opening in dated phases, not all at once, and knowing the phases is the difference between planning a train trip that works and turning up at a station that does not exist yet:
- 30 June 2026, done: the introductory phase opened, connecting Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed City station with Al Hilal City station in Fujairah in about 1 hour 45 minutes. This route is running now.
- 30 September 2026: the official launch of the full passenger network. The Dubai station at Jumeirah Golf Estates and Al Dhaid station in Sharjah’s inland corridor open.
- 30 December 2026: stations across Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region open, including Al Sila, Al Dhannah, Al Mirfa and Madinat Zayed, unlocking the Liwa desert side of the country.
- 30 March 2027: Sharjah’s University City station opens, completing the initial passenger route.
Routes, Stations & Journey Times
Published journey times for the passenger network are impressively short, and they compare very well with the same trips by road once you factor in traffic:
| Route | By train | Typical by road |
|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi ⇄ Fujairah (running now) | 1h 45m | 2.5 to 3 hours |
| Abu Dhabi ⇄ Dubai (from 30 Sept) | About 57 minutes | 1.5 to 2 hours with traffic |
| Dubai ⇄ Fujairah (from 30 Sept) | About 57 minutes | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Abu Dhabi ⇄ Al Ruwais (from 30 Dec) | About 1h 10m | 2.5 hours |
The first wave of stations, in order of opening: Mohammed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi and Al Hilal City in Fujairah (open now), then Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai and Al Dhaid in Sharjah, then the Al Dhafra cluster, and finally Sharjah’s University City. A feasibility study is already underway on extending the passenger network to more emirates, and Dubai Airports has strongly hinted that Al Maktoum International will eventually get its own station.
Tickets, Classes & Life On Board
Pricing at launch is deliberately accessible. On the Abu Dhabi to Fujairah route, fares start from AED 55 in Comfort Class and AED 120 in Premium Class, with tickets sold through the Etihad Rail website and mobile app, which opened for bookings on 23 June 2026. Each class offers multiple booking flexibility tiers, so a fully flexible refundable ticket costs more than a locked-in saver fare, much like airline pricing.
On board, the early reviews from UAE media previews describe generous legroom, big picture windows, onboard Wi-Fi and a dining offer in both classes. The stations themselves are built like small airports: automated gates with QR-code tickets, cafés and retail, taxi ranks, and, at Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed City station, shuttle buses to ADNOC headquarters, ADNEC and Reem Mall for AED 10 a trip.
- Comfort Class: the standard cabin, and honestly all most travellers will need for a one-hour hop. From AED 55.
- Premium Class: wider seats, a quieter cabin and an upgraded service, from AED 120. Worth it for the Fujairah run, where the mountain scenery deserves the window time.
- Booking: app or website, with QR tickets scanned at the gates. Book early for weekend departures; the novelty factor is real and trains have been filling since launch week.
Make Abu Dhabi a Proper Day, Not a Dash
The train gets you between cities; our Abu Dhabi day tours handle everything after the platform: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Corniche, Qasr Al Watan, Ferrari World and Yas Island, with a guide who knows the order to do them in.
What It Means for Travellers
This is the part that excites us most as a Dubai-based operator, because the train quietly redraws the map of what a UAE holiday can include:
- Two cities, one trip, no driving. Base yourself in Dubai and treat Abu Dhabi as a 57-minute hop for the Grand Mosque and the Louvre, or reverse it and come up to Dubai for the Burj Khalifa and an evening dhow cruise. The AED 55 fare is a fraction of a one-way intercity taxi, which typically runs AED 250 or more.
- The east coast finally opens up. Fujairah has always been the UAE’s best-kept secret, with the Hajar Mountains, the country’s oldest mosque and the calmest snorkelling beaches, but the drive kept many visitors away. At under an hour from Dubai by rail from 30 September, a beach-and-mountains day trip becomes genuinely easy.
- The scenery is part of the ticket. The Fujairah approach through the Hajar Mountains is the most dramatic stretch of railway in the Gulf. Sit on the right side heading east, and keep your camera ready after Al Dhaid.
- Liwa and the empty quarter get closer. From 30 December, the Al Dhafra stations put the giant dunes, date farms and Liwa oasis within reach of a rail-plus-drive day, territory that until now demanded a committed road trip.
- Car-free travel becomes realistic. Between the Dubai Metro, the train and hotel transfers, a visitor can now do a genuinely multi-emirate UAE holiday without ever renting a car.
See 6 Emirates in One Guided Day
Until the full network arrives, our 6 Emirates in One Day tour does what the railway will eventually do: Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and back, with hotel pickup, a guide and zero navigation on your part.
Tips Before You Ride
- Book on the app before you travel. Weekend trains have been popular since the June launch, and flexible fares sell out first.
- Arrive about 30 minutes early. The stations use airport-style automated gates with QR tickets, and first-timers always underestimate the walk.
- Plan your last mile. In Abu Dhabi, the AED 10 shuttle buses cover ADNOC, ADNEC and Reem Mall; in Dubai, factor in the ride between Jumeirah Golf Estates and your hotel.
- Sit right heading east. The Hajar Mountain views into Fujairah are on the right side of the train for most of the approach.
- Pack light for day trips. Luggage space is fine for a weekender bag, but travelling light keeps the gate experience quick.
- Visiting from abroad? Sort your entry documents before the fun parts. Our Dubai visa assistance covers 30 and 60-day options with insurance.
What Comes Next: High-Speed & Beyond
The current network is only chapter one. Three confirmed or advanced projects show where UAE train travel is heading:
- High-speed Abu Dhabi to Dubai. A separate 350 km/h line is planned that would cut the capital-to-Dubai run to around 30 minutes, faster than most airport commutes anywhere on earth.
- The Oman link. A 303 km cross-border railway connecting Sohar in Oman with Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi is in development, pointing towards a future where Muscat joins the same rail map.
- Airport connections. Dubai Airports leadership has strongly hinted that Al Maktoum International will get an Etihad Rail station as its massive expansion completes, and network studies for additional emirates are underway. By 2030, the network aims to carry over 36 million passengers a year.
🚄 Build the Rest of the Trip, with Mayra Tours
Mayra Tours is a Dubai-based operator, and the train solves exactly one thing: the bit between cities. Everything on either side of the platform, the tours, the tickets, the desert evenings and the transfers timed to your arrival, is what we do all day.
- Abu Dhabi day trips & attraction tickets →
- Full Day Explore Dubai City Tour →
- 6 Emirates in One Day →
- Desert Safari packages, morning to overnight →
- Burj Khalifa At The Top tickets →
Or browse all our tours and packages to build the whole trip.
See All of Dubai in One Guided Day
Old Dubai, the Creek, Jumeirah, Downtown and the Burj Khalifa in a single sequenced day, with hotel pickup and English and Hindi speaking guides. The perfect first day before you ride the rails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The introductory service between Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed City station and Al Hilal City station in Fujairah has been running since 30 June 2026, with a journey time of about 1 hour 45 minutes. The full network, including the Dubai station, officially launches on 30 September 2026.
Fares on the Abu Dhabi to Fujairah route start from AED 55 in Comfort Class and AED 120 in Premium Class, with several booking flexibility tiers in each. Tickets are booked through the Etihad Rail app and website.
About 57 minutes once the Dubai station opens on 30 September 2026. A future high-speed line running at up to 350 km/h is planned to cut that to around 30 minutes.
At Jumeirah Golf Estates in “new Dubai”, closer to Dubai Marina and Expo City than to Downtown. The RTA is preparing feeder buses and taxi links, and the Route 2020 metro branch runs nearby. From Downtown or Deira, allow an extra 30 to 45 minutes to reach the station.
Open now: Mohammed bin Zayed City (Abu Dhabi) and Al Hilal City (Fujairah). From 30 September 2026: Jumeirah Golf Estates (Dubai) and Al Dhaid (Sharjah). From 30 December 2026: the Al Dhafra region stations including Al Sila, Al Dhannah, Al Mirfa and Madinat Zayed. From 30 March 2027: University City (Sharjah).
Significantly. Comfort Class fares start at AED 55, while an intercity taxi typically costs AED 250 or more one way. For couples and families the savings multiply, though remember to budget for the last mile at each end.
Both are in the pipeline. A 303 km railway linking Sohar in Oman with Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi is in development, and Dubai Airports has strongly hinted that Al Maktoum International will get its own station as its expansion completes. Neither has a confirmed opening date yet.
Related Guides from Mayra Tours
- Dubai’s Outdoor Season Is Back: Every Attraction Reopening in October »
- Top 10 Picnic Places in Dubai: Best Picnic Spots for 2026 »
- How to Save Money on Burj Khalifa Tickets »
- Best Photo Points in Dubai for Aesthetic Photos (2026) »
- All Dubai & UAE Tours & Packages »
We will be on the first Dubai departures in October, and posting the whole journey: follow @mayra_tours on Instagram.
Plan Your Multi-City UAE Trip With Us
Tell us your dates and which emirates you want to see, and we will build the itinerary around the train timetable: tours on both ends, tickets booked, transfers timed to the platform. We respond within 30 minutes (9 AM to 9 PM GST, Monday to Saturday).
