Abu Dhabi Ports Company yesterday signed an initial agreement with Etihad Rail to provide a terminal facility at Khalifa Port for bulk containers as part of the national railway network.
ADPC intends to link its facilities which includes the Khalifa Industrial Zone in Abu Dhabi (Kizad) with the adjacent Khalifa Port and provide logistics companies another means of transportation besides road and sea.
The 1,200-kilometre Etihad Rail network will be part of a wider GCC railway network connecting the UAE with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
“Etihad’s railway terminal connection at ADPC will play an essential role in the overall connectivity of the railway with key centres of economic importance to the UAE and the region, enabling a stronger and more efficient supply chain,” said Nasser Al Mansoori, the chief executive of Etihad Rail.
“Etihad Rail’s connectivity to Khalifa Port and Kizad will also enable our customer to realise further growth and expand their reach in the UAE and GCC,” he said.
The railway network is being developed in three stages. The first stage of 264km from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi will be fully operational by the end of this year. The 628km second stage will extend the network to Dubai, to Saudi Arabia through Ghweifat and to Oman through Al Ain. The final stage will add a further 279km of rail to connect the Northern Emirates, including Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.
“Khalifa Port will be among the first in the region with a fully integrated bulk and container logistics solutions with railway services extending to the GCC,” said Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, the chief executive of ADPC.
Container traffic increased by 14.6 per cent last year at Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa and Zayed ports compared with 2012, as ADPC expanded capacity to meet population growth and rising consumer demand.
thamid@thenational.ae
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