Etihad Rail Dubai to Abu Dhabi: fares, timetable and getting to Al Yalayis by Metro

Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 18 October 2026

Updated 18 October 2026: the Dubai station opened on 30 September. This article now covers Etihad Rail’s fares and how its flexible pricing works, the launch timetable, the RTA’s combined Etihad Rail and Nol day-pass ticket, and the Metro times that matter for early trains. Journey time is about 1 hour 4 minutes on the published timetable; an earlier version quoted a pre-launch estimate of 57 minutes.

Etihad Rail passenger trains have run between Dubai and Abu Dhabi since Wednesday 30 September 2026. They leave from Dubai Al Yalayis Station, beside Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station on the Red Line, and take about 1 hour 4 minutes to Mohamed Bin Zayed City station in Abu Dhabi. Fares start at AED 39, and you can reach the station by Metro without a car.

Fares: from AED 39, but not fixed

Starting fares: AED 39 in Comfort and AED 109 in Premium between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, according to Etihad Rail’s booking site at launch.
Prices move with demand. Etihad Rail told Khaleej Times that fares vary by service, date and time, class, ticket category and when you book. On Sunday 11 October, for example, the 5:14 PM from Dubai showed Premium at AED 149 against the usual AED 109, and Comfort at AED 59; weekend seats sold for between AED 49 and AED 149, and some cabins sold out.
Where to buy: the Etihad Rail app or website. Station vending machines also sell tickets, subject to availability. Because the price depends partly on when you book, booking ahead helps; Etihad Rail says passengers are booking up to 10 days in advance.

Timetable

At launch, trains from Al Yalayis were scheduled at 6:14 AM, 7:14 AM, 1:14 PM, 5:14 PM and 6:14 PM. The first arrives in Abu Dhabi at 7:18 AM; the last from Dubai arrives at 7:18 PM, and the last train from Abu Dhabi reaches Dubai at 6:47 PM. That is ten direct services a day across both directions, and Etihad Rail added extra trains on a busy weekend in early October. Check the app for the current timetable before you travel.

Getting to Al Yalayis by Metro

The station is in Me’aisem First, opposite Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station and linked to it by a 400-metre elevated pedestrian walkway.

Ride the Red Line and board a train signed Expo 2020. Trains signed Life Pharmacy take the other branch after National Paints — if you are on one, change at National Paints.
Get off at Jumeirah Golf Estates (station code R73), the fourth stop on the Expo 2020 branch after National Paints.
Follow the walkway signs to the Etihad Rail station.

Early trains and Sundays: Monday to Saturday, the first Metro trains call at Jumeirah Golf Estates from about 5:10 AM, which leaves time for the 6:14 AM departure from most of the city. On Sunday the Metro starts later, and the first train towards Expo 2020 does not reach Jumeirah Golf Estates until 8:24 AM, so the 6:14 AM and 7:14 AM trains cannot be reached by Metro that day. Every station’s first and last trains are on our timings page.

Coming back: the last train from Abu Dhabi arrives before 7 PM, and the Metro runs from Jumeirah Golf Estates towards the city until 10:52 PM on weeknights (11:56 PM after Friday), so evening arrivals connect easily.

Metro fares to the walkway: Jumeirah Golf Estates is in fare zone 3. From the Marina area (zone 2) the ride is a 2-zone trip, AED 5 on a Silver Nol card; from Downtown, Business Bay or Deira it crosses three or more zones, AED 7.50. See our Jumeirah Golf Estates station guide and the fare calculator for your exact trip.

Nol and the combined ticket

The RTA now sells a Combined QR Ticket with Etihad Rail: one QR code that covers your Etihad Rail journey and, if you add it, a Regular or Gold nol 1-Day Pass for the Dubai Metro, Tram and public buses (not intercity or seasonal buses). You start in the nol Pay or S’hail app, choose Etihad Rail Ticket, and finish the booking on Etihad Rail’s platform. The day pass activates the first time you scan the QR code at an RTA gate and lasts until midnight that day. Changes and cancellations to the train part go through Etihad Rail customer service.

The RTA has not said that a Nol card can pay the train fare itself; the combined ticket is the link between the two systems. Your Nol card still pays for the Metro leg as normal. More on the new Nol QR tickets.

What comes next

More stations: Etihad Rail’s schedule lists Zayed City and Liwa stations next, then the remaining Al Dhafra stations, and Sharjah on 30 March 2027. A spokesperson told Khaleej Times that Liwa should open before the Liwa festival starts on 11 December.
A second Dubai station: The National reports a further Dubai station at Meydan, planned as an interchange with the Gold Line (due September 2032). Jumeirah Golf Estates will itself become a Gold Line interchange.
High-speed rail: The National reports that a separate high-speed line from Al Jaddaf in Dubai to Abu Dhabi is under construction for 2030, cutting the journey to about 30 minutes.