Etihad Rail and an Italian luxury hospitality company Arsenale signed an agreement on May 16th during Abu Dhabi’s Middle East Rail conference to develop a luxury train service in the UAE. The launch date was not revealed, however, details about the luxury train’s operations were announced. The train will travel from Fujairah in the east down to the Liwa Dessert in Abu Dhabi. The train will include 15 luxury carriages and work on them is being done in Puglia and Sicily in Italy.  Arsenale shared that the train’s carriages will reflect the design of Emirati culture and heritage, but the craftsmanship, interior design, and other things will be Italian.

This luxury railway service will be introduced to advance the tourism sector in the UAE. The agreement has been signed after Etihad Railway opened its freight service in February.

“By providing a luxurious train travel experience, we provide a unique global model for the region, contribute to supporting the national tourism sector, and will also be able to highlight the country’s diverse heritage and beauty to visitors from all over the world…” Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail was quoted as saying by the state-run WAM news agency. Arsenale also signed an MoU with Saudi Arabia Railway (SAR) to launch a luxury train service – titled ‘The Dream of the Desert’ in the Kingdom this week, making the Etihad Rail agreement the Italian company’s second international luxury train project.