A local of the Al Qudra neighborhood of Dubai was able to record passenger train test runs on the Etihad Rail tracks. “I have been witnessing the passenger trains on the track for the past two or three days,” claimed Zamaqshari Zubair, a local of the Nshama townhouses in the vicinity of Al Qudra. It appears to be extremely remarkable.
When he first noticed the passenger waggons, Zubair claimed he was rather taken aback. The freight trains can be quickly identified, he claimed. Raw resources like metals and oil are transported on open carts. The items they are transporting are visible. The passenger waggons, however, are brand-new and have enclosed cabins. They look great and [have] windows and doors. The same rail is used for both types of waggons to travel.
Residents of the neighbourhoods surrounding the Al Qudra area, where the Etihad rail tracks pass through Dubai, have witnessed the tracks’ advancement and frequent test runs. These include residents of the towns of Remraam, Mudon, Mira, and Town Square.
“I was able to recognise that it was a train since I am used to listening to [the sound of] trains in India,” said Fouad Ashraf, a resident of Arabella in Mudon. It does, in fact, feel a lot like nostalgia. When I was living in my college dorm, I used to constantly hear the trains coming and going from home. Since then, I frequently hear them, especially at about 7:30 in the morning.
The sleek, futuristic passenger train made its debut in Abu Dhabi for the 51st National Day celebrations. The first passenger train prototype arrived during the grand celebrations in Abu Dhabi in December of last year as the crowd waved and applauded.
The seven emirates and 11 major cities will be connected by the 1,200-kilometer Etihad Rail project, which will run from the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia to its border with Oman. When it is finished, it will likely revolutionise how people travel in the nation. The 256-kilometre railway line connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai was finished last year, and locals in the new Dubai area have been able to observe the network’s development.
When the passenger train starts running, commuting times will be 30–40% shorter, taking only 50 minutes to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and from Dubai to Fujairah, respectively.
A senior Etihad Rail official had previously stated that all forms of transportation would be connected with the railroads to give passengers “door-to-door” service, ensuring their maximum comfort as they travel from the station to their final destination.