A luxury rail journey is coming to the United Arab Emirates after Etihad Rail and Italian hospitality company, Arsenale SpA, inked an agreement this week for the venture.
The Memorandum of Understanding encompasses a train comprised of 15 carriages that will explore destinations in the UAE, including the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the nature destinations of Fujairah, with its mountains right on the border with Oman, and the Liwa desert with its world-famous oasis, near Mezeiraa train station.
Etihad Rail, developer and operator of the United Arab Emirates national railway network, will operate the train. The project will connect all the emirates, as well as the railway network envisaged in the six states of the Persian Gulf reunited in the GCC.
The agreement aims to provide travellers with a unique rail cruising experience, allowing them to discover the Middle Eastern peninsula, from the United Arab Emirates to Oman and beyond. The UAE will be among the first countries in the world to have a luxury cruise service with a fully customized train.
Paolo Barletta, Chief Executive Officer of Arsenale SpA added: “We are thrilled to partner with Etihad Rail on a unique project that promotes the discovery of a magical and exciting territory outside the renowned destinations of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
“The railway cruise is the present and the future of tourism and Arsenale wants to make it available in the most beautiful places in the world, introducing this new fascinating and sustainable way of travelling. We are pleased to announce that Arsenale has entered the United Arab Emirates tourism market.
“This partnership demonstrates that there are no limits to passion and no barriers that can stop the desire to go beyond the imaginary,” Barletta said.
With the completion of the Etihad Rail network, Arsenale will begin the production phase of the train, which will be fully customised in homage to Emirati culture and heritage.
The production, craftsmanship, quality of onboard services, interior design and know-how will be Italian and the “Made in Italy” brand will be the basis on which the entire project will be developed. The carriages will be completely refurbished in specialized factories located in Puglia and Sicily.
This is Arsenale’s second international luxury train deal in the Middle East. It builds on the ‘Dream of the Desert’ project in Saudi Arabia, struck with Saudi Arabia Railway. That train will offer 40 luxury cabins that will operate between Riyadh and Qurayyat, passing through Al Qassim, Hail and Al Jouf. It is earmarked to launch in 2025.
Arsenale is also the company behind the ultra-luxury La Dolce Vita luxury rail journey in Italy which is slated to debut in mid-2024.
Renders are of the La Dolce Vita rail product.
