Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE national railway, has linked the tracks between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The railway line stretches for 256 kilometres and includes 29 bridges, 60 crossings and 137 drainage channels, according to Abu Dhabi Media Office.

About 13,300 workers toiled for more than 47 million hours to complete the project, which was part of the ‘Projects of the 50’.

The AED50bn project, which comes within the framework of The UAE Railway Programme, aims to build a national network of railway lines that would connect seven emirates.

The final piece on the railway track was placed by UAE Finance Minister H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Etihad Rail chairman H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Etihad Rail released the first images of how the UAE’s new passenger trains will look like in January.

The silver and grey carriages will travel at speeds up to 200kph and can carry about 400 people, linking 11 cities and areas across the UAE from Al Sila in the west to Fujairah in the north when fully complete.

This route is expected to be instrumental in the development of the UAE National Rail Network, facilitate goods transportation within the UAE as well as lower transportation expenses.

“The completion of the main railway of the UAE National Rail Network project between Dubai and Abu Dhabi represents an important pivotal phase that shows the great benefits of this national project in linking all the emirates of the country and enhancing the transportation process between industrial and economic centres, and facilitating transportation within the UAE,” said H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed.