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Etihad Rail now carries passengers between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah, joining Saudi Arabia's Haramain high-speed railway and Morocco's Al Boraq among the region's finest trains. Here is what you can ride today and the luxury trains coming soon.
Updated
At a glance
For a long time, the Gulf traveled by car and plane. That is changing fast. In 2026 Etihad Rail opened passenger service across the UAE, Saudi Arabia runs one of the world's fastest railways between Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah, and Riyadh has a gleaming new metro. Morocco and Türkiye already have mature high-speed networks, and luxury trains in the style of the Orient Express are on the way.
Below, trains are split into Running Now and Coming Soon, each with a status label. Dates for future lines come from their operators and may move; we update them as they are confirmed. For the bigger picture, see future travel: air taxis and high-speed rail.
Trains you can book today.
The UAE's national railway began carrying passengers on 30 June 2026 between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, and on 30 September 2026 added Dubai and Al Dhaid. The Dubai station, Al Yalayis in Jumeirah Golf Estates, links to the Dubai Metro Red Line, and trains reach Mohamed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi in about an hour at up to 200 km/h. Al Dhafra stations are due at the end of 2026 and Sharjah in March 2027.
Official site ↗Linking Makkah, Jeddah (including King Abdulaziz International Airport), King Abdullah Economic City and Madinah at up to 300 km/h, this is the comfortable way for pilgrims to travel between the two holy cities. Business class has wide leather seats; note that only Muslims may enter Makkah. See luxury Umrah and Hajj.
Official site ↗Six driverless lines across the capital, with striking stations designed by leading architects and a first class carriage on every train. A practical way to reach the King Abdullah Financial District and the airport. See our Riyadh guide.
SAR runs the long-distance lines from Riyadh to Qassim, Ha'il, Al Jouf and Qurayyat in the north and east to Dammam, with business class seating. The northern line is the future route of the Dream of the Desert.
Official site ↗Africa's first high-speed train runs between Tangier, Rabat and Casablanca at up to 320 km/h, bringing Tangier to Casablanca in a little over two hours. First class is spacious and good value.
Official site ↗Turkish State Railways' high-speed trains link Istanbul, Ankara, Konya and Eskişehir, with business class. Istanbul to Ankara takes around four and a half hours.
Official site ↗Three lines across Doha, with a Goldclub carriage on every train. It links Hamad International Airport, West Bay, the Corniche, Msheireb and Lusail.
Official site ↗One of the world's longest driverless metros, with a Gold Class carriage on every train and a transfer link from Jumeirah Golf Estates station to Etihad Rail at Al Yalayis.
Official site ↗Electric trains connect Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in about half an hour, with a stop at Ben Gurion Airport.
Official site ↗Overnight sleeper trains run between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, a relaxed way to reach the temples. For more comfort, many travelers fly and then join a Nile cruise.
Trains under construction or announced. Dates are the operators' current targets.
Saudi Arabia's first ultra-luxury train, by Arsenale with Saudi Arabia Railways, will have 34 suites for up to 72 guests on journeys of two to five nights north from Riyadh through Qassim, Ha'il, Al Jouf and Qurayyat, with an itinerary including AlUla. Suites are expected from about AED 30,000 (approximately $8,200) per night.
A joint railway linking Abu Dhabi and Al Ain with the Omani port of Sohar, carrying passengers and freight through the Hajar Mountains. It will make Al Ain to Sohar a journey of under an hour.
A dedicated high-speed line planned by Etihad Rail to link the two cities in about half an hour, with stations including Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Dubai.
Official site ↗The extension of Morocco's high-speed network south to Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, planned ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. It will bring Marrakech within reach of Tangier in under three hours.
Official site ↗A new high-speed network built with Siemens, beginning with a line from the Red Sea at Ain Sokhna to the Mediterranean coast at Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh, then south toward Luxor and Aswan.
A planned railway linking Riyadh with Jeddah on the Red Sea, crossing the Kingdom from coast to coast.
New lines are planned to extend the Riyadh Metro and connect the city to Qiddiya.
The long-planned network to link the six Gulf states by rail, with national sections like Etihad Rail and Hafeet Rail forming its first links.
Yes. Since 30 September 2026, Etihad Rail runs between Al Yalayis in Dubai and Mohamed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi in about an hour.
Service is currently expected in the third quarter of 2027. The operator takes refundable deposits for early journeys.
Non-Muslims may travel between Jeddah and Madinah, but only Muslims may enter Makkah.
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Checked October 2026. Prices and dates are approximate and can change. See our standard.