Etihad Rail transports 10 million tonnes of sulphur milestone

Mar 1, 2017: Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE's multi-billion dollar national railway network, has announced it has transported 10 million tonnes of granulated sulphur for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) since launching stage 1 operations.

Two trains move along the phase 1 network daily under the current timetable from Shah and Habshan to its point of export at Ruwais, each carrying up to 11,000 tonnes of granulated sulphur.

To date, the monthly average tonnage of sulphur transported stands at 410,000 tonnes, Etihad Rail said in a statement

“The Etihad Rail project is emblematic of our zest for sustainable development, fostering innovation, and unsurpassed commitment toward revolutionising the UAE’s socio-economic landscape,” said Faris Saif Al Mazrouei, CEO of Etihad Rail.

“Stage one’s continued progress underpins our vision to create significant benefits to the UAE through a faster, safer and more reliable alternative transport system. Transporting high volumes of sulphur per year is only the beginning of our efforts to expand the UAE’s logistics capabilities when transferring goods and raw materials from their source points to their final destinations,” he added.

The 1,200km-long Etihad Rail network is part of the government’s plans to invest in transport infrastructure.

Stretching a distance of 264km, stage one links the sulphur sources of Shah and Habshan to the export point of Ruwais via the Mirfa depot.

At full capacity, stage one of the Etihad Rail project is poised to transport more than seven million tonnes of granulated sulphur annually, the statement added.