Getting between the UAE's two biggest cities no longer means a taxi ride down the E11. Etihad Rail has switched on its passenger service linking Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the route officially opening on 30 September 2026 as the biggest step yet for the country's first national passenger rail network.

The trip takes about an hour. Trains run at up to 200km/h, carry around 400 passengers, and there are ten daily services in each direction. Launch fares start at AED39 (roughly €9.35) in Comfort Class and AED109 (about €26) in Premium Class — a fraction of what a cross-city taxi typically costs.

The route links Al Yalayis Station in Dubai, near Jumeirah Golf Estates, with Mohamed Bin Zayed City Station in Abu Dhabi. Handy detail for car-free travellers: the Dubai station connects directly to the Metro's Jumeirah Golf Estates stop via a pedestrian bridge, so you can ride in from the city and hop on the intercity train. On the Abu Dhabi side, shuttles run to central spots including the Corniche, Reem Mall and ADNEC Centre for AED10. Tickets are sold through the Etihad Rail website, app and station machines.

The same expansion also connects Dubai with Fujairah on the east coast, with Al Dhaid in Sharjah joining too. More stops are coming fast: Madinat Zayed and Liwa in November, Al Sila, Al Dhannah and Al Mirfa in December, and Sharjah University City expected in March 2027.

Some of those new endpoints are the real story for visitors. Liwa is the gateway to the vast dunes of the Empty Quarter and hosts annual motorsport events, while Al Mirfa sits on the western coast near mangrove areas — a very different UAE from Dubai's towers. It's now realistic to base yourself in Dubai and day-trip to Abu Dhabi's museums and waterfront, or string together several emirates in one trip without renting a car.

There's a bigger picture too. The UAE network feeds into long-talked-about plans for a railway linking all six Gulf Cooperation Council states — Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE — though no completion date exists for that. Saudi Arabia already runs intercity passenger trains, and Dubai, Doha and Riyadh all have metros, so the Gulf is slowly stitching itself together by rail.

For now, the Dubai–Abu Dhabi line stands on its own as a cheap, quick alternative to the highway. If you've been putting off a two-centre UAE trip because of the logistics, that excuse just got a lot weaker.