Etihad Rail plant readies locally-made sleepers for rail project
ABU DHABI, May 8, 2021
Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE's integrated railway network, has announced that its second sleeper factory is now supplying locally produced components for Stage Two of the UAE rail network, in line with the ‘Make it in the Emirates’ strategy, which was launched recently by the UAE.
The second factory, located in Saih Shuaib on the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, covers an area of over 9,000 sq m. Having taken 12 months to build and requiring 700,000 man hours, the factory can produce 1.1 million sleepers.
Since its inception, Etihad Rail has ensured building the UAE’s national rail network with world-class standards, to contribute to supporting the growth of the nation’s industrial sector and advancing the country’s wider economic growth.
The first of the two sleepers factories has been set up at Al Mirfa in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi.
According to Etihad Rail, these sleepers are a vital component of the railway network, as they form the base for anchoring railway tracks.
The company has built factories to manufacture railway sleepers locally, rather than importing them with the aim of achieving optimal efficiency in time, effort and costs, alongside reducing the environmental impact of importing goods into the UAE.
The factory stretches over 13,000 sq m, and is able to produce 45,000 sleepers each month, manufacturing all sleepers required for Stage One of the project, said the statement from Etihad Rail.
The company referred to local sources to provide many of the main components required for building the network, in line with ‘Make it in the Emirates’ strategy, which was launched recently by the UAE, it added.
According to Etihad Rail, the production of these sleepers is conducted over a production line facility. With eight lines in operation, each line can produce 400 sleepers per day, with the factory producing 3,200 sleepers in every casting, it stated.
Each sleeper produced at the factory undergoes a thorough quality and inspection test. These tests include dimensional tests, cube testing, and bending testing. Assessors check for any cracks before the sleepers are transported to the assembly area to be used, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
