Etihad Rail manufactures sleepers locally to support UAE economy

In line with ‘Make it in the Emirates’ strategy, Etihad Rail has sought to manufacture sleepers locally, as part of its plan to use many of the main components required for building the network from within the UAE.

Sleepers are a vital component of the railway network, as they form the horizontal base for anchoring railway tracks, WAM reports.

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 highest quality of raw materials that are available locally, are used in manufacturing the sleeper, which contributes to creating hundreds of jobs across the UAE.

One of the two sleeper factories is in Al Mirfa of Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. The factory spans over 13,000 sqm, and can produce 45,000 sleepers each month, manufacturing all sleepers required for Stage One of the project.

The second factory, located in Saih Shuaib on the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, covers an area of over 9,000 sqm. Having taken 12 months to build and requiring 700,000-man hours, the factory can produce 1.1 million sleepers.

The production of sleepers at the factories 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.

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.