For most UAE forwarders, “inland” has always meant a truck. A container lands at a port, a haulier collects it, and it runs up the highway to the customer’s warehouse. In September 2026 a new option became real for one of the country’s busiest corridors: a scheduled rail service carrying containers from Fujairah on the east coast to the industrial zone outside Abu Dhabi, where they can be cleared on arrival.
This guide explains what was launched, how it fits into the wider rail network, when rail is likely to beat a truck for your shipments, and what changes in the way you quote and explain the move to a customer.
What was launched
Etihad Rail Freight and AD Ports Group launched a direct cargo service between Fujairah Terminals and the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD), as reported by The National on 20 September 2026. Trade reports from RailFreight.com and World Cargo News put the route at about 200 kilometres and say the service runs three times a week.
The important change for forwarders is the destination. According to these reports, shipping lines, freight forwarders and cargo owners can, for the first time, book freight directly to ICAD as the destination and clearance point. The National reports that ICAD has been given its own UN/LOCODE to make this possible. Containers move by rail to the zone and are inspected, cleared and released there, closer to the industrial customers who receive them.
Omar Al Sebeyi of Etihad Rail Freight told The National that the service reduces the time between a vessel’s arrival and final delivery. Published reports we reviewed did not state a transit time or capacity for this specific service, so plan with the operator’s current schedule rather than an assumed figure.
The wider network
The new service runs on a national freight network of roughly 900 kilometres, from Ghuweifat on the Saudi border in Al Dhafra to Fujairah on the east coast. Freight operations across the full network were launched in February 2023. Etihad Rail says it aims to carry 60 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2030, and, as reported by The National, that every train could take up to 300 lorries off UAE roads. Treat both as the operator’s own targets and claims, not as a figure for any single train you book.
The network is also growing outward. Hafeet Rail, a joint venture of Oman Rail, Etihad Rail and Mubadala, is building a 238-kilometre line linking the Omani port of Sohar with the UAE network through Al Buraimi and Al Ain. Oman’s Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology said in September 2026 that trial operations would begin in the final three months of 2027, according to Gulf News. That is a planning horizon, not a service you can quote today.
Why the east coast matters more this year
Since early 2026, commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted, and cargo has shifted toward ports on the UAE’s Indian Ocean coast, which sit outside the strait. The National has reported a sharp rise in container volumes at east-coast ports and described the national rail network as an important overland route alongside them. World Cargo News notes that Fujairah’s position beyond the strait lets it keep serving freight if the sea route is closed, while adding that the operators have not said whether this was a factor in the launch. For a forwarder, the practical point is simple: more of your boxes may now arrive on the east coast, and a scheduled rail link from there to Abu Dhabi’s industrial zone is a new way to bring them inland.
When rail is likely to beat a truck
Rail is not automatically cheaper or faster. It wins under particular conditions. Ask these questions before offering it:
- Where does the box start and end? The service links Fujairah and ICAD. If your consignee is in or near the industrial zone, the last truck leg is short. If they are in Dubai or Sharjah, rail to Abu Dhabi may add distance rather than save it.
- Is the flow regular? Three departures a week suit a steady flow you can plan around. A one-off urgent box that lands the day after a departure may be better on a truck.
- Is the cargo heavy? Dense cargo such as metals, building materials and industrial inputs is where rail traditionally earns its place, because a truck runs out of payload long before it runs out of space.
- Where does the customer want to clear? If clearing at the industrial zone suits the consignee, the service removes a step. If they prefer to clear at the port, rail offers less.
- How exposed is the road leg? Long highway runs carry risk from congestion, delays and driver availability. A scheduled train trades flexibility for predictability.
What changes in your quote
A truck quote from port to door is often one line. A rail move is several legs, and each one needs its own cost and its own owner. Break it out like this:
- Arrival port charges at Fujairah, as for any import.
- Rail leg from Fujairah Terminals to ICAD, booked through the routes the operator offers. Confirm with the shipping line or the operator how the booking is made for your cargo.
- Terminal handling at the inland end, including lift-off at ICAD.
- Customs clearance at ICAD rather than at the port. Inspection and release happen at the zone.
- Last-mile truck from ICAD to the consignee, plus the empty container return if the box is not stripped at the zone.
- Time-related charges. Free time on the container still runs while it waits for a departure. Price in the wait, or agree how detention and storage are handled if a train is missed.
Two practical checks before you quote. First, make sure the booking shows ICAD as the destination where that is the intent; the new UN/LOCODE is what lets the zone be named as the clearance point. Second, agree who is responsible if the box misses a departure: the customer, the line, or you.
CargoSurge does not book rail freight. Bookings are made with the operator or through the shipping line. What a forwarding system can do is keep each leg of the job — port, rail, inland handling, clearance and last mile — as separate cost lines, so the margin on a rail move can be compared honestly against a truck quote for the same lane.
How to explain it to a customer
Most customers do not care whether their container moves by road or rail. They care about when it arrives, what it costs, and who to call. Keep the explanation to those three points:
- When: “Your container leaves Fujairah on the next scheduled train and is cleared at the Abu Dhabi industrial zone. We will confirm the departure once the vessel is discharged.” Give a window, not a promise, until you have run the lane a few times.
- Cost: show the legs. A customer who sees port, rail, inland handling, clearance and delivery separately understands why the total differs from a single trucking line.
- Clearance: explain that inspection and release take place at the zone, and that their broker or yours needs to be ready there rather than at the port.
Be open about the trade-off. Rail gives a regular schedule and keeps heavy boxes off a long highway run; a truck gives flexibility on timing. For the right lane and the right customer, the first can matter more than the second.
A short checklist for your first rail move
- Confirm the current departure days and cut-off times with the operator.
- Confirm the consignee can receive cargo cleared at ICAD.
- Name ICAD as the destination on the booking where that is the plan.
- Line up the clearance at the zone in advance, with documents ready before the train arrives.
- Book the last-mile truck and the empty return before the box lands.
- Quote each leg separately and record actual costs against each one.
- Agree in writing who carries the cost of a missed departure.
This article is general information based on public reports available on 22 September 2026, including The National, RailFreight.com, World Cargo News and Gulf News. Schedules, booking routes and procedures can change. It is not legal, customs or commercial advice; confirm current arrangements with the rail operator, your shipping line and the customs authority before quoting.