Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on Thursday, announced the launch of the UAE National Rail Network.

The announcement was made by Sheikh Mohammed in a series of tweets on his Twitter account.

The national rail network, which connects four main ports in the country and seven logistic zones, will transport 60 million tons of goods annually.

“Our train network strengthens our economy, consolidates our territorial integrity and moves us all towards a better future,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“The rail network is a national strategic project with an estimated economic return of Dh200 billion by 2050. The project has been completed by the collaboration of 180 federal and local bodies which worked for 133 million hours under the leadership of Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” the Vice-President said.

"A single national team represents a single national economy and a single vision for development," Sheikh Mohammed added.