On 30 September 2026, Etihad Rail opens Dubai Al Yalayis station, near Jumeirah Golf Estates. Abu Dhabi will be around 57 minutes away, and fares will be paid with the RTA Nol card.
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Etihad Rail's first Dubai passenger station, Dubai Al Yalayis, opens on 30 September 2026, the same day as Al Dhaid station in the emirate of Sharjah, according to Khaleej Times (23 September 2026). The journey to Mohamed bin Zayed City station in Abu Dhabi will take around 57 minutes, cutting travel time by up to 40%. Passengers will pay with the Nol card issued by Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). This opening redraws the commuting map of southern Dubai, and with it the property market, starting with Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Key points
- Etihad Rail's Dubai Al Yalayis station, next to Jumeirah Golf Estates, opens to passengers on 30 September 2026.
- Al Dhaid station, in the emirate of Sharjah, opens the same day, 30 September 2026. This is the second phase of Etihad Rail's passenger network, following the launch of the Abu Dhabi–Fujairah line on 30 June 2026.
- The journey between Dubai Al Yalayis and Mohamed bin Zayed City station in Abu Dhabi takes around 57 minutes, up to 40% faster than current journeys, according to Khaleej Times.
- Etihad Rail tickets are paid with the RTA Nol card, under an agreement signed between the RTA and Etihad Rail in February 2024.
- An elevated pedestrian bridge links the station to the Jumeirah Golf Estates stop on the Dubai Metro Red Line. The site is also set to become an interchange with the future Gold Line, announced for 2032.
An Etihad Rail Dubai station plugged into the Metro and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road
Dubai Al Yalayis is not a standalone station: a pedestrian bridge connects it directly to the Jumeirah Golf Estates stop on the Metro Red Line, so travellers can switch from metro to train without a car. The station sits along Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), around thirty minutes from Al Maktoum International Airport. The future Metro Gold Line, announced for 2032, is also due to stop here, turning it into a major transport hub for southern Dubai.
As of mid-September 2026, Etihad Rail had published neither ticket prices nor the number of daily trains. Those two details will decide whether professionals working across both emirates actually make the trip every day.
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A 350 km/h high-speed line in the pipeline to Al Maktoum International and Al Jaddaf
A separate project is in preparation: a high-speed line between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, designed to run at 350 km/h. It is set to serve Al Maktoum International Airport and Al Jaddaf, on the banks of Dubai Creek. This second link would extend the rail effect towards Dubai's historic centre, while the Etihad Rail network is rolling out first in the south of the emirate.
- Short term (30 September 2026): Jumeirah Golf Estates and the Al Yalayis neighbourhoods, connected to the Metro and to Abu Dhabi.
- Medium term: Dubai South and the Al Maktoum International area, driven by rail, metro and the airport.
- Longer term: Al Jaddaf, with the high-speed line.
What it means for investors
We see this opening as a genuine shift for southern Dubai. Residential areas such as Jumeirah Golf Estates and the communities around Al Yalayis now have a rail link to Abu Dhabi on top of the Metro. For landlords, that opens up a new tenant profile: executives and families who work in the capital but want to live in Dubai. As a reminder, individuals in Dubai pay no tax on rental income or on property capital gains, so every improvement in connectivity flows straight through to the investor's bottom line.
On resale, new transport infrastructure is one of the value drivers we track closely, as explained in our guide on the Dubai neighbourhoods with the strongest capital growth. The station's opening does not, however, guarantee any specific price increase. Ticket prices, train frequency and walking distance to the station will matter a great deal, from one building to the next. For investors who think in buy-and-sell cycles, our Dubai buy-to-sell strategies help pinpoint the right moment to position yourself.
Lucretia helps you identify, in these neighbourhoods, the properties best located relative to the station and the Metro. We analyse real rental demand with you and build a strategy tailored to your situation. For a broader view of the market, see our Invest in Dubai page.
Source: khaleejtimes.com — 2026-09-23
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About the author
Benoit CLAUDEL
Director of Strategy & Operations
With over 18 years of experience in real estate and wealth management, Benoît has developed recognized expertise in advising private investors, business executives and family offices. After starting out in a real estate agency and working within one of the most reputable wealth management firms in Paris, he then joined LCL as Head of Private Banking for Île-de-France, advising high-income clients on their real estate strategies. An entrepreneur, he founded and ran his own wealth management firm for 7 years, structuring investment and wealth optimization solutions. Today at Lucretia, Benoît oversees operational strategy, sales performance and advisor training. He works on high-value-added cases, particularly investments via French holding companies, legal structuring and wealth taxation.
