Everything you need to know before your journey
Passengers travelling on Etihad Rail‘s new service between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah will need to follow a strict set of rules, with fines ranging from AED100 to AED10,000.
This will be for offences committed on board trains, inside stations and across railway facilities.
The railway operator said authorised staff can issue fines to passengers and visitors who breach the regulations.
Paying a fine does not prevent further legal action, with serious cases still liable to be referred to the relevant authorities.
Fines from AED200 to AED5,000
Many everyday offences carry an AED200 fine. These include travelling without a valid ticket, using someone else’s ticket, failing to pay the correct fare, travelling in a higher class than the ticket allows, occupying reserved seats without permission and misusing discounted or concession tickets.
Passengers can also be fined for littering, putting their feet on seats, carrying prohibited items, refusing to follow staff instructions, remaining on a platform after being asked to leave, entering stations or trains while intoxicated, consuming alcohol in prohibited areas and forging or altering tickets.
Fine from AED500 fine
A higher AED500 fine applies to smoking or vaping anywhere it is prohibited, as well as abusive, threatening or disruptive behaviour, harassment, verbal abuse, spitting or deliberately soiling trains and stations.
The same penalty also covers tampering with train doors, attempting to open doors while the train is moving, boarding or leaving a moving train, causing service delays and carrying out commercial photography or filming without prior written approval.
Fines over AED5,000
The most serious offences carry an AED5,000 fine.
These include misusing emergency alarms, emergency brakes, fire extinguishers or emergency exits without good reason, entering railway tracks or restricted areas without authorisation, throwing objects from trains or station platforms and vandalising trains or station property, including graffiti.
Etihad Rail also warned that any other offence not specifically listed could result in a fine of between AED100 and AED10,000, depending on its severity.
Travelling with children and pets
Families are well catered for under the new guidelines. Infants can travel free of charge when seated on the lap of an accompanying adult, with one free infant permitted per adult.
Any additional infants require a child ticket, while children under the age of 14 must travel with a responsible adult. Folded prams are permitted onboard provided they are stored safely and do not block aisles or emergency exits.
Household pets are also allowed, provided they remain inside an approved carrier for the entire journey.
Each passenger may bring one pet carrier, which counts as their permitted hand luggage.
What you can and can’t bring onboard
Passengers are prohibited from carrying weapons, explosives, flammable or hazardous materials, narcotic substances and alcoholic beverages.
Bicycles, scooters, electric scooters and electric bicycles are also not permitted, along with oversized luggage that blocks aisles or storage areas or any item that poses a safety risk, causes disruption or emits strong odours.
Passengers are welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks, although Etihad Rail advises avoiding anything with strong smells or that could spill and inconvenience fellow travellers.
Smoking and vaping are prohibited throughout trains and station facilities, except in designated smoking areas where available.
Ticket rules and boarding times
Tickets can be booked online, through the Etihad Rail app, at station ticket machines or, in limited circumstances, onboard the train.
Advance booking is recommended, especially during busy periods, although tickets remain available until five minutes before departure, subject to availability.
Depending on the fare type, passengers may be able to amend or cancel their booking and request a refund, while some ticket categories are non-refundable.
Travellers are reminded to arrive early, as station ticket gates close two minutes before departure.
Anyone leaving the secure departure area after passing through the gates will not be allowed back in using the same ticket and will need to purchase a new one before travelling.
For further information, visit etihadrail.ae
