Etihad Rail Signs Strategic Agreement With Herrenknecht To Develop New Tunnel Design And Construction Technologies

Press release

Published October 6th, 2021 - 10:45 GMT

Etihad Rail signs strategic agreement with Herrenknecht to develop new tunnel design and construction technologies.

Highlights

Etihad Rail has announced signing a strategic partnership with Herrenknecht, one of the oldest and largest companies specialised in tunnelling solutions, to develop new tunnel design and construction technologies.

Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, has announced signing a strategic partnership with Herrenknecht, one of the oldest and largest companies specialised in tunnelling solutions, to develop new tunnel design and construction technologies.

The agreement, which took place on the sideline of Expo 2020 Dubai, was signed by Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, and Martin Herrenknecht, Founder and Chairman of Herrenknecht. The agreement comes in line with Etihad Rail's commitment to foster a culture of innovation and adopt the best international practices in various fields.

Under this agreement, Etihad Rail will send young Emirati engineers to undergo training at the Herrenknecht Academy, at its headquarters in Germany, to exchange knowledge, acquire the necessary expertise, enhance their skills and capabilities and gain first-hand experience in the field of tunnelling.

In addition, the two companies will cooperate to explore areas of optimising the design and construction of the UAE National Rail Network’s tunnels, and exchange technical information and standards to assess the feasibility of tunnelling projects and mechanised tunnelling technologies.

Background Information

Etihad Rail

Etihad Rail was established in June 2009 under Federal Law no. 2, with a mandate to manage the development, construction and operation of the UAE’s national freight and passenger railway network.

The railway network will be built in phases to link the principal centres of population and industry of the UAE, as well as to form a vital part of the planned GCC railway network linking the six countries of the GCC: The Kingdom of Bahrain, The State of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and UAE.Built to international standards, Etihad Rail’s state-of-the-art network will act as a catalyst for economic growth and sustained social development. Once complete, the railway will redefine logistics and transport in the region; thus providing a modern, safe, efficient and sustainable network which will connect the UAE and its regions to its neighbouring GCC countries.