Etihad Rail Brings Forward Liwa Station Launch to November 30
Good news for anyone planning a desert trip. Etihad Rail Liwa station and the nearby Madinat Zayed station will open on November 30, a full month earlier than planned.
The change was announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, after meeting Etihad Rail’s chief executive Shadi Malak in Abu Dhabi.
The earlier date lines up with the start of Al Dhafra’s busy events and festival season. Once open, the Etihad Rail Liwa station will make it much easier for residents and tourists to reach the Liwa Oasis, home to towering red dunes and the edge of the Empty Quarter desert.
Madinat Zayed, one of the larger towns in Al Dhafra, gets its own stop too, giving locals a new travel option beyond the highway. Both stations are part of the wider national railway rollout that began with passenger trips between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah in June.
More stations are on the way. Jumeirah Golf Estates and Al Dhaid open in September, followed by Liwa and Madinat Zayed in November, then Al Dhannah and Al Sila in December. Sharjah’s University City station follows in March 2027.
