Etihad Rail on Tuesday provided a first look inside its passenger station in Fujairah. On a media tour, officials told how the 51,900-square metre building built withmore than 2,270 metric tonnes of steel is a key point in the UAE-wide network. The station, the first fully completed passenger station, is located in Al Hilal City in Fujairah’s Sakamkam neighbourhood close to the port. It is also 12 minutes by car from Fujairah International Airport, five minutes from Sakamkam Fort and six minutes from the popular Umbrella Beach. A vast tract of land surrounds the station that is expected to eventually become a major residential district. The station has been built so that it is easy for passengers to navigate once they arrive by car, public transport or taxi. A striking tiered facade dominates the area, and inside there are ticket machines, digital information boards and large wall maps, while large spaces are ready for restaurants and cafes that will open soon. Passengers enter through automatic gates and move upstairs to access the platforms and trains. “The station is strategically located at the heart of the emirate of Fujairah,” Adhraa Almansoori, executive director of commercial at Etihad Rail Mobility, told The National. It is close to tourist and economic locations, she added.“The expectation for passengers … is that they will be provided with main amenities in the terminals, so they will have food and beverage … and then on the train they will have a whole different experience,” she said. “It will be a comfortable journey … where they can gain back their time, relax and enjoy time with their families or finish business while they go from one location to another.”Anticipation is building for the launch of passenger services that Etihad Rail has said will start this year.The first services will connect Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah in the network's opening phase, Etihad Rail said. The other two stations on this first route are in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi and Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Construction crews are working around the clock to complete those stations.Travel times are still being worked out but Etihad Rail on Tuesday said passengers could expect a time of 57 minutes for Abu Dhabi to Dubai; 105 minutes for Abu Dhabi to Fujairah; and 69 minutes for Dubai to Fujairah.Ms Almansoori said passengers will be able to book tickets - for comfort and premium seats - through a website, a forthcoming app and at the stations but prices will be announced “at a later stage this year”.Etihad Rail is also not just a new form of public transport but a different way of experiencing the UAE. As part of the tour, journalists were taken on a short train ride to Al Bithnah Bridge, which is about 20 minutes outside Fujairah. The bridge is 40 metres high, 600 metres long and provides panoramic views of the city, mountains and palm-fringed villages below. Onboard the noticeably quiet trains will have Wifi, power outlets, overhead storage and generous legroom. Trains will travel at speeds of about 200kph and can carry around 400 passengers with Etihad Rail stating about 10 million passengers are expected to be carried annually.Al Bithnah Bridge, a key landmark in the Etihad Rail network. Antonie Robertson / The NationalInfoFujairah emerges as a key hub on UAE's east coastIt was in 2022 that Etihad Rail confirmed the first passenger station on the network would be built in Fujairah. Now with Fujairah the first to be completed, it places a spotlight on the strategic importance of the emirate. Fujairah has long been known for its beaches, mountains and diving but the launch could have knock on-effects into other sectors. Ms Almansoori said the station and service will play a “huge role” in the economy of Fujairah. “A lot of people think about Fujairah as the emirate where people actually go and enjoy their time [and] spend time with their family. It's beautiful scenery," she said. "We believe that it will change the way that people think about … investment in real estate, education, healthcare and culture and tourism."An Etihad Rail freight train passes close to Fujairah passenger station. Antonie Robertson / The NationalInfoNo impact to launch date from Iran warShe said the conflict that started on February 28 did not impact the launch date for passenger services. “We are very thankful that we are part of the UAE where we were able to deliver the project on time," she said. "Obviously there were a lot of challenges, but following the policies of the UAE, focusing on delivering the project, focusing on the policy to focus on growth rather than being distracted by the challenges, that's what we did and it was all done through a collaboration with many entities, both locally and federally to make it happen.”The UAE freight network is already up and running with the line from Fujairah seeing a major increase in traffic since February 28. Last month Etihad Rail carried out the UAE's first commercial transportation of cars by rail, from Fujairah to Abu Dhabi.Ms Almansoori said the past few months had also showcased "the importance of the rail services in the UAE" and "how resilient" the service is. “We managed in the first nine days [to move] move 100 freight [trains] from the east coast all the way to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. That wouldn't be possible if we didn't have the infrastructure of the railway ready and up and running."In such circumstances, it actually highlighted the importance of the UAE vision to invest in such infrastructure for resiliency and ensuring the continuation and sustainability of the supply chain.”A significant majority of construction materials used in the network are sourced from local businesses (70 per cent), and the majority of suppliers (97 per cent) are UAE-based, Etihad Rail said. Nationwide networkThe wider Etihad Rail passenger network will eventually stretch across the country with 11 stations announced so far.It is not yet clear when these will open but the company has previously said they will become “operational in phases”.The service should offer a major economic boost to Fujairah.The arrival of passenger trains could also increase domestic tourism as the country tries to recover from the Iran war – seen as crucial in advance of a general tourism recovery.“This domestic demand will play a critical role in stabilising and resetting tourism across the UAE and the wider Gulf region,” Carlos Cendra, chief marketing officer at the Data Appeal Company, which offers travel analytics, previously told The National. “Increased travel frequency and improved accessibility will help drive occupancy and gradually restore pricing structures, particularly as hotel rates remain under pressure.”