Etihad Rail and AD Ports Group Launch Direct Freight Service Linking Fujairah Terminals to Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, Extending Port Reach 200km Inland by Rail

Etihad Rail and AD Ports Group launched a direct rail freight service on September 20, 2026 connecting Fujairah Terminals on the Gulf of Oman with the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, marking a significant expansion of the UAE's integrated logistics infrastructure. The service runs three times a week and combines a dedicated rail freight link with a customs-enabled inland cargo gateway at ICAD, allowing containers landed in Fujairah to travel approximately 200 kilometers by rail for inspection, clearance and release. ICAD has been assigned its own UN Locode, AECAD, making it a recognised logistics location in global shipping and trade systems. For the first time, shipping lines, freight forwarders and cargo owners can book cargo directly to ICAD as the destination and clearance point, extending the reach of Fujairah Terminals beyond the port gates. Developed in partnership with AD Ports Group, Etihad Rail Freight enables cargo arriving in Fujairah to be transported directly by rail to ICAD, where customers can access customs clearance, inspection and cargo release services closer to their operations in Abu Dhabi. The service is aimed at importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers operating across the capital, particularly those with facilities or warehouses in ICAD. Omar Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of Etihad Rail Freight, said the launch marks an important step in enhancing logistics integration and maximising the potential of the UAE's national railway network, helping reduce the time between vessel arrival and final delivery. The launch follows a bonded rail corridor agreement signed last October between Khalifa Port and Fujairah Terminals, which allows goods to move under customs control without immediate payment of import or export duties. That memorandum was signed by Etihad Rail, Abu Dhabi Customs, Fujairah Customs, AD Ports Group, Fujairah Terminals and Noatum Logistics, in the presence of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al