China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has completed excavation work on a tunnel that runs through the Hajar mountains which links Dubai to Fujairah. The 1.8km rail tunnel T1 is said to be the longest in the Middle East region.

According to a report by The National, the project is being implemented by CCECC for section D of Stage 2 of the Etihad Rail project, as part of a joint venture with Abu Dhabi contractor National Projects and Construction.

Once complete, the Etihad Rail network will connect all of the UAE emirates – from Ghweifat in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi to Fujairah on the east coast. It will also link with Saudi Arabia.

Etihad Rail is being built in three phases. The first phase, a 264km stretch between Al Ruwais and the Shah and Habshan gasfield in Abu Dhabi, became operational in 2016, the report said.

In Stage Two of the project, more than 600km of track will be laid down from Ghuweifat, on the border with Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah on the east coast. Track laying for two packages of Phase 2 of the Etihad Rail project is currently under way, the report concluded.