If you're driving between Dubai and Sharjah in the small hours over the next couple of weeks, plan around some temporary disruption. Authorities are closing sections of Emirates Road (E611) nightly until November 15, along with Maleha Road and the area near Sharjah Mosque, to allow construction on the Etihad Rail network.
The good news: the closures are short and predictable. They run every night from 1am to 5am, capped at four hours, so daytime travel is unaffected. The exceptions worth flagging are night-shift workers, delivery drivers, and anyone catching a very early flight who would normally drive the E611 corridor. Rail authorities have apologised in advance for the disruption and asked drivers to plan their routes accordingly.
This isn't a one-off. Roads linking Mleiha Road and Sharjah Ring Road were closed earlier for the same railway project, so expect occasional night works as the network expands. Etihad Rail is the UAE's national railway, currently linking Abu Dhabi, Al Dhaid and Fujairah stations, with more to come.
There's a genuine reason for patience. The passenger service has clearly struck a nerve: it sold 120,000 tickets in its first 30 days, a record for the young network. Before the end of the year, five more stations are slated to open — Madinat Zayed, Liwa, Al Mirfa, Al Dhannah and Al Sila — extending the network westward towards Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra region. Sharjah's University City Station is expected to follow in March.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple. If you're renting a car or taking taxis between Dubai, Sharjah and the northern emirates during this window, avoid the 1am-5am slot on the E611, Maleha Road and routes near Sharjah Mosque, or build in a detour. And if you're heading to Fujairah's east coast beaches or the Hajar Mountains, the rail project that's causing the closures will eventually make getting around the country easier without a car at all.
