Kalyon İnşaat begins work on UAE's first high‑speed rail line

Turkish construction firm Kalyon İnşaat has started building the Abu Dhabi section of the Abu Dhabi–Dubai high‑speed railway, the United Arab Emirates' first line of its kind. The project is part of a $13 billion Etihad Rail initiative to create a 900‑km passenger rail network across the UAE.

Kalyon is part of an international consortium with UAE‑based National Projects and Construction, Trojan Tunneling, and China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The 150‑km line will run at 320 km/h, cutting travel time between the emirates from about 1.5 hours to 30 minutes. The Abu Dhabi segment includes roughly 97 km of track, four stations and an 11.2‑km twin‑bore tunnel, with completion targeted for 2031. Chairman Murathan Kalyoncu said the project showcases the company's global engineering strength and reliability on the international stage.