The United Arab Emirates and Israel can be connected by a railway. This proposal was made by Israeli Minister of Transport and Road Safety Merav Michaeli at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
According to her, this is a peace train that will connect the port of Haifa with the port in Dubai. “I am very interested in this and I know that my partners in the UAE are also interested. We need this to happen,” Michaeli said.
Relations between the two countries have improved significantly since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020. To date, more than 50 agreements have been signed between the two countries in various sectors.
The Israeli Minister of Transport and Road Safety and UAE officials also discussed the challenges and threats facing the two countries and the opportunities for the countries to achieve prosperity.
Earlier, a section of the Etihad Rail railway was opened in the UAE, linking Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The railway is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country, the task of which is to further develop the national economy.
The 256 km Tarif-Al Awir main line has been designed to the highest international standards and includes 29 bridges, 60 crossings and 137 drainage channels. In the future, the new section of the road will be connected to the integrated national railway network in the UAE.
The construction of the site took more than 27 months, the investment amounted to 50 billion dirhams. In doing so, the railway will enable the UAE to strengthen its position as a leading regional and global hub in the trade, economics and logistics services sectors over the next 50 years.
At the end of 2021, the UAE announced plans to build a passenger railway. By 2030, Etihad Rail will not only carry heavy loads, but also millions of passengers, according to a statement from the authorities.
So, passengers will be able to get from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in 50 minutes and from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in 100 minutes, using the rail service. The railways will connect 11 key cities and towns in the UAE.