Travelling between Abu Dhabi and Dubai has long meant sitting in traffic on the E11 or paying for a taxi. That changed on 30 September 2026, when Etihad Rail launched the UAE's first intercity passenger train, cutting the journey to just 64 minutes.
The route runs from the capital to Al Yalayis Station in Dubai's Jumeirah Golf Estates area, and it clearly struck a nerve. The opening weekend allocation sold out before launch, prompting Etihad Rail to release 2,000 extra tickets. Fares are refreshingly cheap for the region: Comfort class starts at AED 39 (about €9.35), while premium seats begin at AED 109 (roughly €26). The line also calls at Fujairah, giving the east coast its first passenger rail stop.
One catch for now: stations sit outside the city centres, so onward transport matters. In Abu Dhabi, AED 10 (€2.40) shuttles run from Mohamed Bin Zayed City Station to the Corniche waterfront, Reem Mall and the ADNEC Centre. In Dubai, a 400-metre pedestrian bridge links Al Yalayis to the metro — the only one in the UAE — with taxis, buses and car parking also on hand.
More is coming. Al Dhafra station opens on 30 December 2026, followed by Sharjah on 30 March 2027, which should make this an even better tool for hopping between emirates. Further out, Abu Dhabi plans stops at Al Mirfa near the mangrove-fringed Al Mugheirah Bay, Liwa on the edge of the Empty Quarter (home to a winter motorsport festival), and Al Sila near the Saudi border.
The bigger picture is a region slowly wiring itself together. Only Saudi Arabia currently runs intercity passenger trains — Riyadh to Qurayyat and Dammam, plus the Haramain high-speed line between Mecca and Medina. The six GCC states have talked about a Gulf-wide network for years without a confirmed date. There is fresh momentum, though: in late 2025 Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed a high-speed Doha–Riyadh line that would shrink that trip to around two hours, targeted for 2031.
For travellers, this is genuinely useful news. A €9 train ticket between the UAE's two biggest cities opens up easy day trips in both directions — beach and museums in the capital, shopping and skyline in Dubai — without renting a car or haggling over taxi fares. If you're flying into either city, it also makes a two-centre UAE trip far simpler. Just plan the first and last mile: check shuttle times or the metro connection before you set off, and book early if you're travelling on a weekend, as the launch proved demand already outstrips supply.
