UAE builds first railway over water

The United Arab Emirates has announced the completion of its first railroad track over water.

The rail marine bridge links the Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi to the UAE’s National Railway Network. The one-kilometer bridge runs parallel to a road bridge, and connects the sea port terminal to the Emirati mainland, Etihad Rail said in a tweet yesterday. 

Why it matters: The UAE government launched Etihad Rail in 2009, and has been working on building a national railroad network since then. The network will connect much of the Emirates when completed. It will reportedly include a high-speed rail between Abu Dhabi and Dubai that can make the 140-kilometer (85 miles) journey in just 50 minutes. The construction does have a specific end date, but Etihad Rail wants to carry millions of passengers a year by 2030. 

The railway system is another example of the UAE’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions, since trains emit less carbon dioxide than cars. Most recently, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company sent the experimental energy form “clean ammonia” to Japan. In May, the Emirati renewable energy company Masdar unveiled a plant that turns garbage into energy. 

Still, gas and oil remain integral to the Emirati economy. 

Know more: Dubai is also experimenting with electric buses in an effort to reduce dependence on oil.