Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of UAE’s national railway network, has awarded multibillion-dollar design-and-build contracts for the civil works and station packages of the high-speed railway (HSR) line connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai, reported MEED.

The contract for the construction of the Abu Dhabi side of the railway was awarded to a consortium comprising Abu Dhabi’s National Projects Construction (NPC), Trojan Tunnelling, Turkiye’s Kalyon and China State Construction Engineering Corporation.

The other deal, comprising the construction of the Dubai side of the railway, was awarded to a consortium of India’s Larsen & Toubro, China Harbour Engineering Company and local firm Wade Adams. As per MEED estimates, the whole scheme is worth about $6.5 billion.

US-based Jacobs is the designer for the NPC group, while French engineering firm Egis and Singapore’s Surbana Jurong are the designers for the L&T-led consortium.

Gulf Construction had earlier reported that the new high-speed train, running at 350 kmph between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, will reduce the travel time to just 30 minutes.

The network will encompass six strategically located stations: Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, and Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, and stations in proximity to Al Maktoum International Airport and Jaddaf area in Dubai.

This is in addition to the regular Rail Passenger Train services that will be rolled out in 2026, according to Etihad Rail. It will travel at 200 kmph, and can accommodate up to 400 passengers.

It has the same rail as the cargo trains, and will have four stations in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Fujairah.