Etihad Rail signs three MoUs with European companies

Credit: Etihad Rail - Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, signs an MoU with Juan Matías Archilla, Senior Manager of International Business at Renfe

Etihad Rail signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Renfe, Spain’s national railway operator; High Speed 1, the first high-speed railway in United Kingdom (UK), and GB Railfreight, the British rail freight company. The MoUs are based on exchanging knowledge, expertise, and best practices in freight and passenger rail services and operations. This comes as part of Etihad Rail’s efforts for developing railway services as part of the UAE National Railways Programme.

The MoUs were signed by Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, and Juan Matías Archilla, Senior Manager of International Business at Renfe, Dyan Crowther, Chief Executive Officer of High Speed 1, and John Smith, Chief Executive Officer of GB Railfreight, in the presence of officials from both sides.

Credit: Etihad Rail – Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, signs an MoU with John Smith, Chief Executive Officer of GB Railfreight

Renfe, Spain’s national railway operator, operates the largest high-speed rail network in Europe and the second largest in the world. It operates about 5,000 trains per day, and transports more than 500 million passengers per year. High Speed 1 is a British company that operates high-speed passenger trains in the UK and has the concession to own, operate and maintain the UK’s only high-speed railway. In addition, GB Railfreight is the third largest rail freight company in the UK, and one of the fastest-growing companies in the railway sector, moving 22 per cent of the UK’s rail freight.

“Etihad Rail is committed to achieving the goals of the National Railways Programme and completing the Etihad Rail project on schedule,” Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, said. “We are constantly working to sign agreements and build partnerships to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the National Rail Network, as part of Etihad Rail’s diligent efforts for bolstering cooperation and exchanging expertise with some of the global leaders in the railway network, to provide the best world-class services.”

Credit: Etihad Rail – Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, signs an MoU with Dyan Crowther, Chief Executive Officer of High Speed 1

The MoUs centre on exchanging knowledge, expertise, and the best practices in the railway sector, rail maintenance, and managing technical development such as the planning, design, development, and commissioning.

Dyan Crowther, CEO of HS1 Ltd, said: “We are delighted to be working with Etihad Rail to help accelerate their work in developing and operating the UAE’s national railway network. As the UK’s first high-speed rail line, we have extensive knowledge of operating a successful railway, and we look forward to sharing our expertise and knowledge with Etihad Rail.”