Imagine boarding a sleek, silver bullet of a train in the UAE and gliding across the desert, reaching Dubai from Abu Dhabi is just 57 minutes. Whether you're a solo commuter, a family on holiday, or a first-class traveller seeking luxury, this vision is fast becoming reality, with passenger trains scheduled to start operating by 2026 in the UAE.

At the Global Rail conference in Abu Dhabi, Etihad Rail offered a first glimpse inside its highly anticipated passenger trains. A model of the silver train cabin was up on display with the iconic black and red Etihad rail logo on them. However, this is just a prototype, not a final look.

According to videos displayed at the event, each train will have different cabins - economy class, family space within economy, and business class. While the economy class of the prototype is shown to have back-to-back dark grey coloured seats, the family class has seats facing each other and have a longer table in between. The first-class seats are shown to be wider and adjustable for the comfort of passengers. Tray tables are available behind all the seats and there will be overhead space for luggage in each cabin. There will be separate space for additional bigger pieces of luggage.

Automated barrier

To enter the train station, passengers will have to scan their tickets at the automated barrier. A spokesperson said that although it would be advisable to book tickets online early, ticket machines will be available at the train stations as well. A sample ticket vending machine was also on display. Passengers can select the preferred class of travel, their start and end destinations and can also mention special requests here. Black and grey in colour, the machine will accept bank notes, card and Apple Pay.

It is not yet clear what the fares for the train journey that will run from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah are and what kind of last mile transport options will be available.

The first passenger trains are expected to run at speeds of 200kmph. A trip to Dubai from Abu Dhabi will take 57 minutes . Going from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah will take around 100 minutes, while travelling from Abu Dhabi To Ruwais will take around 70 minutes.

There will be two different kinds of trains plying across the network as well, each with around 400 seats. There will be small differences in the design of the two cabins as well, although the classes will remain the same.

The train and station hosts have cream-and-red uniforms and the train drivers have a grey-and-black uniforms.

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