Hala Nasar

Everything you need to know, from routes and stations to ticket booking, fares, travel classes, baggage allowances and on-board facilities

Etihad Rail's first passenger service departed Fujairah's Al Hilal City station at 5:34am on Tuesday, marking a historic milestone for the UAE. The train journey between Fujairah and Abu Dhabi's Mohamed bin Zayed City station takes approximately one hour and 45 minutes, cutting car travel time by about an hour. Each of the 13 trains in the passenger fleet can carry up to 400 passengers and reaches a maximum speed of 200kph.

In an age when artificial intelligence seemingly seeps into every aspect of human life and interaction, I have grown increasingly wary of AI-generated content – especially food images. However, Readles, the Dubai Mall cafe by Greek chef Alexandros Sperxos, flipped that narrative for me. The fairytale-themed cafe in Zabeel Extension combines old-school dishes with AI-led storytelling. Here's how my visit unfolded.