<p data-path-to-node="5" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">ABU DHABI</b> — In a major technical leap forward for high-density industrial logistics across the United Arab Emirates, AD Ports Group, in operational partnership with national railway developer Etihad Rail, has officially concluded full-scale commercial load trials for <b data-path-to-node="5" data-index-in-node="268" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Automated High-Speed Dry-Bulk Intermodal Marshalling and Evacuation Systems</b> linking interior resource extraction zones directly to the deepwater bulk quays at Khalifa Port.</p><p data-path-to-node="6" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">The operational milestone validates continuous, high-payload rail movements transporting raw mineral aggregates, metallurgical limestone, granulated slag, silica sand, and clinker between inland quarries across the Northern Emirates, industrial extraction hubs, and Abu Dhabi’s primary maritime export docks. By pairing purpose-built heavy-haul bottom-discharge rail wagons with automated subsurface conveyor intake grids, the joint framework establishes an uninterrupted, dust-free supply chain conveyor designed to bypass long-standing road drayage chokepoints and lower the delivered cost of bulk raw materials.</p><h4 data-path-to-node="8" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Eliminating Bulk Drayage Bottlenecks on Regional Highways</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="9" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Heavy industrial manufacturers, primary steelmakers, and cement producers across the UAE have traditionally contended with significant logistical inefficiencies when hauling high-density raw commodities:</p><ul data-path-to-node="10" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="10,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Severe Road Asset Wear &amp; Highway Congestion:</b> Moving millions of tonnes of quarry aggregates and industrial minerals required fleets of multi-axle tipper trucks operating across the E11, E311, and E611 arterial expressways. This led to frequent road wear, high traffic density, and safety hazards along vital coastal transit corridors.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="10,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Protracted Unloading Delays at Quayside:</b> Conventional truck dumps at maritime terminals required manual weighbridge scaling, physical tailgate unlatching, and localized tipping into open storage piles. This fragmented sequence created long turnaround queues outside terminal gates during heavy shipping cycles.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="10,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="10,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Fugitive Emissions and Environmental Waste:</b> Open tipper handling resulted in material spillage and airborne particulate dispersion, complicating environmental compliance with federal clean air directives.</p></li></ul><p data-path-to-node="11" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">The automated intermodal marshalling system developed by AD Ports Group and Etihad Rail eliminates these vulnerabilities by transitioning dry-bulk flows onto dedicated heavy rail paths paired with rapid, enclosed discharge infrastructure.</p><h4 data-path-to-node="13" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b style="font-size: inherit;">Engineering Integration: Pit Unloading to Berth Conveyors</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="18" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">The physical mechanics of the newly tested setup are built for non-stop industrial cadence:</p><ul data-path-to-node="19" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="19,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="19,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Automated Bottom-Discharge Wagons:</b> As the freight train rolls over the purpose-built rail discharge pit at low creep speed (under 3 km/h), electronic wayside track transponders trigger the pneumatically operated bottom hopper doors on each wagon in sequence.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="19,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="19,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Underground Silo Receiving Grid:</b> Payload falls directly through protective grizzly screens into deep subsurface hoppers fitted with variable-speed vibratory feeders, preventing material compaction and eliminating grab-crane handling.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="19,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="19,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">High-Speed Covered Conveyor Shuttles:</b> Materials are drawn from beneath the rail track onto high-capacity covered rubber conveyors moving at over 4.2 meters per second, channeling the bulk directly to automated yard stackers or straight into ship-loaders positioned along deepwater bulk berths.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="19,3,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="19,3,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Integrated ATLP Customs Pre-Clearance:</b> Operating through AD Ports Group's digital single window—the Advanced Trade &amp; Logistics Platform (ATLP)—mineral manifests and certified axle weights are digitally reconciled in motion, allowing outbound export bulk to clear statutory port release without halting the train.</p></li></ul><h4 data-path-to-node="21" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Accelerating Industrial Competitiveness Under Operation 300bn</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="22" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">The successful conclusion of these operational trials establishes a permanent heavy-haul conveyor for the UAE’s industrial diversification agenda under <b data-path-to-node="22" data-index-in-node="152" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Operation 300bn</b> and the <b data-path-to-node="22" data-index-in-node="176" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Net Zero 2050</b> charter.</p><p data-path-to-node="23" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Speaking following the technical debriefing at Khalifa Port, senior executive leadership from AD Ports Group and Etihad Rail stated:</p><blockquote data-path-to-node="24" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="24,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><i data-path-to-node="24,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">"The completion of full-load dry-bulk trials marks an essential advancement in the UAE's multimodal transport capabilities. By coupling Etihad Rail’s national heavy-haul backbone with Khalifa Port’s deepwater automated bulk berths, we are delivering an efficient, high-volume logistics pipeline for primary industry. Replacing hundreds of highway truck trips per single train movement lowers logistics costs, protects national highway infrastructure, and reduces industrial transport emissions across the Arabian Peninsula."</i></p></blockquote><p data-path-to-node="25" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Terminal management confirmed that having completed all engineering trials, the high-speed dry-bulk intermodal system will transition into continuous, scheduled commercial operations servicing primary building material, mining, and metals enterprises across the region.</p>