Taking Etihad Rail over the weekend? Everything you need to know to plan your travel

With two new stations now open, Etihad Rail has become far more accessible for UAE residents looking to explore the country by train. On Wednesday, the much-awaited Al Yalayis station in Dubai opened to public alongside the Al Dhaid station located in Sharjah. The customer demand was so high that Etihad Rail announced six additional services over the weekend.  

For all those who are hoping to take the Etihad Rail passenger train, here is everything you need to know before you start the trip:

Which cities I can visit?

Fujairah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Al Dhaid

What are the train timings?

There are different timings of services during weekends and weekdays. Here is a breakdown of the different services:

Is there parking available at the stations? What are the charges?

Parking is available at all stations on the network. Here are the details

Mohamed bin Zayed City station, Abu Dhabi

• There are 258 slots, with eight of them reserved for electric cars.

• The parking is operated by Darb.

• The first 15 minutes are free.

• Beyond that, cars parked for up to three hours will be charged Dh5 per hour.

• Any vehicle which uses the facility for up to 24 hours will be charged Dh15.

• For multi-day parking, the charge will be Dh20 per day.

• Cars which enter the parking between 2am and 6am will have to pay Dh20 for 24 hours.

• The fees will be deducted from the Darb wallet. Those who don’t have a Darb account can pay using a QR code.

The payment must be completed within 24 hours to avoid fines.

Al Yalayis station, Dubai

• There are a total of 265 parking slots available.

• The facility is managed by Parkin and fees apply 24 hours throughout the week, including for public holidays.

• The first 15 minutes is free.

• Thereafter, cars are charged Dh5 per hour.

• For vehicles that are parked for 5 hours and above, a full day rate of Dh30 will apply.

• For overnight parking from 1am to 5am, a rate of Dh40 will apply.

• Payment can be done through the Parkin app within one day. Failure to do so will result in a Dh150 fine.

Al Dhaid station

Fujairah station

How is the onward travel?

There are plenty of options for passengers from all the stations:

Mohamed bin Zayed City station, Abu Dhabi: There are three shuttle buses for passengers to choose from. These must be booked while buying the train ticket and cost Dh10 per person. They take passengers to:

• Reem Mall, Reem Island: This is a 55-minute drive

• Adnec Center, Al Rawdah: It is a 30-minute drive

• Adnoc Headquarters, Corniche: A 45-minute drive

The shuttle services begin at 7am and are available till 9pm both to and from the station. Detailed schedules for weekdays and weekends are available on the Etihad Rail website

Al Yalayis station, Dubai: Travellers can choose to access the Jumeirah Golf Estate Metro station using a footbridge or a shuttle service. They can also use the F38 shuttle bus to get to Production City and Dubai Sports City. Those who intend to explore Dubai can get a Nol One-Day Pass from Dh22. This will allow them to combine inter-emirate train travel with unlimited eligible journeys on the metro, tram and bus network.

Al Dhaid station: There are three buses from Al Dhaid that take passengers to Jubail bus station, Al Sajaa bus station and Al Madam bus station.

Fujairah station: The Etihad Rail bus stop is just 35 meters away from the station.

In addition to this, there are e-hailing and car rental facilities at all the stations.