Dubai is getting 4 Etihad Rail stations: Here’s where they’ll be

Dubai’s rail network is getting a major addition, with four Etihad Rail stations planned across the emirate. Two will serve the national passenger network, while the other two will be part of the much-anticipated high-speed rail link between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The national Etihad Rail passenger network will have two stations in Dubai, connecting the city to the wider UAE rail system. One of them is already known: Al Yalayis Station, which is set to open on September 30 and will serve as Etihad Rail’s main passenger station in Dubai, near Jumeirah Golf Estates. The second Dubai station has yet to be named. The update was shared by Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), during a press conference announcing the inaugural RailX Dubai Conference and Exhibition. The other two stations are being developed specifically for the upcoming high-speed rail link between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. One will be located at Al Maktoum International Airport, while the second will be in Al Jaddaf. The high-speed service will run on a separate, fully electrified network, with journeys between Abu Dhabi and Dubai expected to take around 30 minutes. According to RTA’s Dubai Rail Network Map for 2032, the high-speed route is planned to run broadly parallel to the Dubai Metro Red Line, primarily along Al Khail Road. The plans get even more interesting when you look at how the stations will fit into Dubai’s existing transport network. The Etihad Rail connections are planned to link with the Red, Green and Blue Metro lines, as well as future routes being discussed, including the proposed Gold Line. That means passengers could eventually move between Dubai Metro and Etihad Rail as part of one wider network, making cross-city and inter-emirate journeys much easier. The high-speed rail project is set to add a new option for travelling between the UAE’s two biggest economic centres. With the journey expected to take around 30 minutes, the service will connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai at speeds that could make commuting between the two cities considerably quicker. For Dubai, the four planned stations also form part of a bigger transport strategy: connecting the emirate’s local rail network with the UAE-wide Etihad Rail system.