Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, has marked a new milestone in the development of the rail network with the arrival of the first batches of the company’s new and advanced rolling stock fleet.

The first batches have arrived in the UAE through Zayed and Al Musaffah Ports, which comes as part of Etihad Rail's commitment to expanding its fleet of trains to serve the entire network. The company will increase its fleet of heavy freight locomotives to 45 heavy transport locomotives, which is equivalent to six times of its current fleet.

The achievement was announced during an event, which was organised by Etihad Rail at Al Mirfa city in the Al Dhafrah region in Abu Dhabi, to unveil the new fleet of locomotives and wagons. The event was attended by Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer at Etihad Rail, alongside Marty Haycraft – President and CEO at Progress Rail and Henry Pang, Executive Director - Mena at CRRC, in addition to a number of senior officials from all sides.

Progress Rail, a Caterpillar company of America and one of the world's largest manufacturers of diesel and electric locomotives, will handle the manufacturing and supply of the new EMD SD70 electro-motive diesel locomotives.

The company has increased the size of its wagons, with the new fleet aiming to house more than 1,000 multi-purpose wagons, three times of its current fleet. China's CRRC Group, one of the world's leading providers of sustainable development solutions of the railway industry, will handling the manufacturing and supply the new fleet of wagons.

 “We made sure that the company’s new fleet is among the most modern in the region and the world, providing the highest safety criteria in terms of design, ensuring the best specifications for sustainability and environmental protection, and integrating the latest technologies for train operation and monitoring. We also ensured that the fleet suits the local geography and climate in the UAE and the region and meets current and future needs of Etihad Rail’s clients,” Mohammed Al Marzouqi, Executive Director of Rail Relations Sector at Etihad Rail said.

The new locomotives and wagons will be stored at Etihad Rail’s facilities in Al Mirfa until the completion of construction works on the UAE National Railway Network.