Etihad Rail will transform UAE’s economic landscape

The benefits delivered by Etihad Rail will extend far beyond real estate, creating new corridors for living, trade, and investment across the Emirates.

- Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fim Properties, believes the Etihad Rail network will transform the UAE’s economic landscape by boosting connectivity, reducing travel times, and driving genuine demand in emerging markets.

"When we saw His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai riding the Etihad Rail from Dubai to Fujairah, that wasn't just a symbolic moment-that was the announcement of a new real estate era in the UAE," said Al Msaddi. "It represented a once-in-a-generation infrastructure shift that will redefine how value is created, captured, and capitalized across the Emirates.

"We're not just talking about transportation. We're talking about speed, interconnectivity, and productivity, and how all of that compresses space and time. And when you compress space and time, you reduce opportunity cost. That's where the real value is unlocked.

"Etihad Rail isn’t just a train, it’s a full-scale economic reset for the UAE. It will shift demand patterns, eliminate bottlenecks, and open up new corridors for living, trade, and investment." Added Msaddi: “Each emirate has always had something unique to offer. But until now, the opportunity cost of movement, whether for people, goods, or capital, has been too high.