Etihad Rail and AD Ports Group launched a direct freight service between Fujairah Terminals and Abu Dhabi’s Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD) on 20 September 2026. AD Ports said the solution carries containers arriving at the Gulf of Oman port by rail on the national network to the industrial zone in the capital. The companies combined the rail service with an inland cargo gateway equipped for customs procedures. The aim is to extend port services to a location closer to cargo customers.

The rail distance between Fujairah and ICAD is about 200 kilometres. ICAD has received the United Nations UN/LOCODE “AECAD”, giving the industrial zone a recognised logistics location within international shipping and trade systems. AD Ports said shipping lines, freight forwarders and cargo owners can for the first time book shipments directly to ICAD as the destination and customs-clearance point. Containers can be inspected and released at dedicated customs and inspection facilities at the inland site.

The service is intended for importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers operating in Abu Dhabi. The companies say that receiving cargo closer to warehouses, production sites and markets can reduce extra handling and simplify the interval between vessel arrival and final delivery. The launch announcement did not provide customer numbers, container volumes, transit times or cost reductions. The commercial effect can be assessed once those operating results are reported.

Dedicated trains are scheduled to run three times a week, with regular timetables. The arrangement is intended to help coordinate vessel arrivals and inland distribution. The companies said rail could reduce road congestion and carbon emissions compared with long-haul trucking, but did not provide an emissions calculation for each container or tonne-kilometre. Any environmental benefit should therefore be described as an expectation of the operators, not as a measured saving.

The service links Fujairah Terminals, the national rail network and customs facilities at ICAD, extending the connection between UAE ports and industrial customers. Direct booking and inland clearance make the arrangement more than a rail movement alone. Its impact will become clearer with information on line capacity, schedule reliability, port waiting times, the sectors sending cargo and actual emissions comparisons. The verified development is the launch of a new Fujairah–ICAD freight connection operating three times per week.