Etihad Rail Freight has opened a new direct rail cargo route linking Fujairah Terminals with the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, known as ICAD, in partnership with AD Ports Group. The service went live on September 20, part of a wider push to connect the UAE's port gateways directly to its inland industrial and commercial hubs.
Under the new arrangement, cargo arriving at Fujairah no longer needs to travel the long road route to Abu Dhabi. Instead, containers move straight from the port by rail to ICAD, where customs clearance, inspection and release services are now available on site. Officials say the setup meaningfully shortens the time between a vessel's arrival and final delivery to customers.
Omar Alsebeyi, chief executive of Etihad Rail Freight, said the partnership with AD Ports Group has produced an innovative logistics solution that streamlines the movement of goods across the network. Saif Al Mazrouei, chief executive of the Ports Cluster at Abu Dhabi Ports, added that strong trade corridors are built by connecting gateways directly with the industrial and commercial ecosystems they serve.
The companies say the route will cut reliance on road haulage between Fujairah and Abu Dhabi, easing truck traffic on the highway corridor while giving manufacturers and traders based in ICAD faster, more predictable access to imported goods. ICAD has also been assigned its own UN Locode, allowing shipping lines and freight forwarders to book it directly as a destination and clearance point.
The new line adds to Etihad Rail's freight network, which the company has been steadily expanding, as it positions rail as a core part of the UAE's cross-emirate logistics infrastructure alongside road and sea transport.