UAE announces 'transformational' high speed route

Ali Siahvashi, Ricardo's General Manager for rail services in the Middle East discusses the merits of a new high-speed route between the UAE's two largest cities.

The announcement in January this year of a dedicated high-speed passenger link between Abu Dhabi and Dubai promises to take full advantage of the mode’s transformative potential.

It currently takes over an hour to travel by car between the UAE's two largest cities via the busy Sheikh Zayed Road. Those travelling by public transport face bus journeys of up to two and half hours.

The proposed high-speed link, however, will complete the same trip in just 30 minutes, an offer that is likely to attract a substantial share of journesy between the two commercial centres, as well as spur more trips for work and leisure.

As is often the case in high-speed rail schemes, the core driver is economic growth, as ecidenced by dedicating two of the initial six stations to serving Zayed Airport in Abu Dhabi and Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai.

But looking at high-speed rail as an instigator of economic activty is based on real-world evidence: cities on Italy’s high-speed network have seen a 5.6% increase in GDP, for example, whilst the line connecting Frankfurt and Cologne in Germany - a line of similar distince to that proposed in UAE - has been found to have spurred 8.5% GDP growth in the communities along the route (when compared to a controlled comparison of urban centres located elsewhere).

And there are also wider gains to factor in, such as the increase in land and property values, the creation of skilled employment, and an impetus for innovation for the UAE’s leading technical research institutions and universities.

The challenge now is for all stakeholders across the two emirates to remain committed to vision.

In such a complex project there will be a swathe technical, financial and political challenges yet to be overcome, many of which have brought similar schemes around the world to a halt.

One obvious challenge is how it integrates with local transportation services, particualrly that criritcal 'last mile' of journeys. This will be pertinent in Abu Dhabi, where the three dedicated stations will be located on the outlying islands, a fair distance from the main central commercial and residential district.

However, as we have seen in the transport systems recently built across the region, this is a part of the world that is adept at learning the lessons of rail projects around the world, and has shown an insistance on accepting only the highest standards of build, safety and operational efficiency. 

This is an exciting and positive proposal. One with a rational business case, a clear market, and the potential to spur growth and investment in both cities. We look forward to seeing it progress to detailed plans.