Etihad Rail Crosses 100,000 Tickets as UAE Embraces Intercity Train Travel

Etihad Rail has crossed the 100,000-ticket mark just two months after launching passenger services, signalling strong early demand for the UAE's new national railway as the network prepares to extend into Dubai and Sharjah.

The milestone was disclosed by Azza Al Suwaidi, Etihad Rail's Chief Operating Officer, who said demand had continued to rise since introductory passenger services began between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on June 30. Passengers have increasingly been using the trains for family visits, medical appointments, leisure trips and other journeys between the emirates.

The latest figure represents a significant increase from the more than 70,000 tickets reported by Etihad Rail at the beginning of August. At that stage, the operator said customers were booking journeys an average of 12 days ahead, suggesting that the railway was already becoming part of travel planning rather than simply attracting passengers curious to experience a new mode of transport.

The passenger service began with the Abu Dhabi-Fujairah route, cutting the journey between the two emirates to about one hour and 45 minutes. The introductory phase was launched with six services, following strong demand that had already seen more than 10,000 tickets sold before the first scheduled train departed.

Etihad Rail is now preparing for a much larger phase of the network. The Dubai station at Jumeirah Golf Estates and the Al Dhaid station in Sharjah are scheduled to open on September 30, bringing two additional destinations into the passenger network. Further stations in the Al Dhafra region are expected to open on December 30, while Sharjah's University City station is scheduled for March 30, 2027.

The arrival of the Dubai station could be particularly important for passenger numbers. Dubai is one of the UAE's largest population and employment centres, and connecting it directly to the national rail network gives residents another option for travelling between emirates. Etihad Rail has indicated that it expects passenger demand to continue growing as more stations become operational and the network becomes easier to incorporate into everyday journeys.

The company has also designed the passenger service around different categories of travellers. Families, commuters, tourists, students and business travellers have all contributed to early demand, while the trains offer both Comfort and Premium classes. During the introductory period, fares on the Abu Dhabi-Fujairah route have started from Dh55 for Comfort Class and Dh120 for Premium Class, although regular fares are higher.

The railway's expansion is part of the UAE's wider effort to create an integrated national transport system linking population centres, economic hubs and tourism destinations. Etihad Rail's passenger fleet consists of 13 trains, each capable of carrying up to 400 passengers, giving the operator room to expand capacity as demand develops.

There is still an important distinction between early ticket sales and established daily ridership. The 100,000 figure represents tickets sold, not necessarily 100,000 unique passengers or 100,000 completed journeys. Likewise, the opening of the Dubai station does not mean the entire national passenger network will be operational at once; the remaining stations will come online in phases through March 2027.

But the early numbers provide an encouraging signal for a project designed to change how people move around the UAE. When Etihad Rail opened bookings, more than 5,000 passengers reserved seats within just two days, while the company's app became the country's most downloaded free app at the time.

The significance of the 100,000-ticket milestone, then, goes beyond the number itself. The UAE is gradually moving from a transport system dominated by roads and air travel between emirates towards one in which intercity rail becomes a routine part of daily mobility. With Dubai about to join the network, the next test will be whether Etihad Rail can turn early enthusiasm into sustained ridership, and whether the train can become not just a new way to travel across the UAE, but an ordinary part of how millions of people plan their lives.