Deutsche Bahn and Etihad Rail (company created for railway development and operations in the United Arab Emirates – UAE) have established a joint venture that will operate rail freight transport services on the Arabian Peninsula. In this context a contract was signed in Abu Dhabi by the President of DB Schenker Rail, Alexander Hedderich, and H.E. Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Deputy President of Etihad Rail.

Etihad Rail selected DB Schenker Rail for this joint venture. Etihad Rail will own the majority of the founding capital of this new company called Etihad Rail DB Operations LLC.

DB Schenker Rail will be responsible for the recruitment of 200 employees that are required for the gradual development of rail operations and maintenance of the fleet. A range of railway specialists will be needed: signalling experts, engineers, safety managers, etc. As knowledge of the English language is a prerequisite, the coordination of this recruitment drive is being managed by British subsidiary DB Schenker Rail UK. The first freight trains are scheduled to run from October 2013.

At present 80 billion euros is being invested in the construction of a new railway network for passenger and freight transport spanning the seven Emirates that form the UAE. When completed, the Emirates’ economic centres and ports will be linked by a 1,200 km long railway that is equipped to, and meets with, international railway standards.

As Dr Rüdiger Grube, President of Deutsche Bahn, underlined, “The Etihad rail network heralds a new era in transport. DB Schenker Rail is proud to be part of it. We are confident that this network will contribute significantly to strengthening the strategic position of the United Arab Emirates. Our experts at DB Schenker Rail and DB International are looking forward to cooperating with Etihad Rail.”

(Source: DB Schenker)