Etihad Rail, the UAE National Rail Network developer and operator, has signed an agreement with Italian luxury hospitality company Arsenale to roll out “a luxury train experience that pays homage to Emirati culture and heritage.”
According to Khaleej Times, the luxury train will travel throughout the UAE towards the border with Oman, passing through Mezeira’a, along Liwa Desert and its famous oasis. It will extend to the wider GCC, once the GCC Railway is operational.
This will be Arsenale’s second international luxury train project, following the recent announcement of The Dream of the Desert project in Saudi Arabia.
The deal was signed in the presence of Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, on the sidelines of the recently concluded two-day Middle East Rail Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, where Etihad Rail signed a total of seven agreements “further to drive the development of its freight and passenger services.”
Fully customised train
The train will consist of 15 luxury carriages that will pass through the cosmopolitan cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, to the nature destinations of Fujairah, with its sheer mountains right on the border with Oman, and the Liwa desert, with its world-famous oasis, near Mezeiraa train station.
The carriages will be completely refurbished in specialised factories located in Puglia and Sicily, Italy. The production, craftsmanship, quality of onboard services, interior design and know-how will be Italian, Arsenale noted. (NewsWire)