UAE: Train honks bring back memories among residents as Etihad Rail takes shape

UAE: Train honks bring back memories among residents as Etihad Rail takes shape

'Sometimes if you are lucky enough to look out of the window at the right time, you can see locomotives on the tracks'

Published: Tue 4 Oct 2022, 7:18 AM

Curiosity, surprise and nostalgia are just some of the emotions Dubai residents in the suburban areas feel when they encounter locomotives and trains as Etihad Rail takes shape in the UAE.

“The first time I heard the honking sound, I was surprised,” said Fouad Ashraf, a resident of Arabella in Mudon. “I was able to recognize that it was a train because I am used to listening to trains in India. To be honest, it felt very nostalgic. Back home, I used to hear the trains all the time when I was living in my college hostel. Since then, I hear it regularly, particularly in the morning around 7.30.”

The 1200-kilometer-long Etihad Rail project will connect all seven emirates and 11 major cities starting from the UAE’s border with Saudi Arabia up to the country’s border with Oman. It is expected to revolutionise travel in the country when it is complete. Earlier this year, the linking of Abu Dhabi and Dubai by a 256km railway line was complete and residents around the new Dubai