Keolis Appoints Youenn Dupuis as CEO Ahead of Etihad Rail Passenger Launch

DUBAI, February 2026 — Keolis has appointed Youenn Dupuis as Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East and East Asia, placing him in operational charge of the forthcoming passenger services on the UAE’s national railway, Etihad Rail. The leadership change comes as the network moves toward its first commercial passenger launch in 2026, transitioning from a freight-only corridor to a mixed-traffic national system.

Dupuis takes up the post at a decisive phase for the project. The Etihad Rail network extends approximately 900 km, linking all seven emirates from Ghuwaifat on the Saudi border to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman. Freight operations commenced in 2023, supported by a fleet of 38 locomotives and more than 1 000 wagons. Passenger infrastructure, including stations across 11 cities, is now advancing through final commissioning and systems integration.

Prior to this appointment, Dupuis led Keolis’s activities in the Greater Paris region for more than a decade, overseeing a transport portfolio valued at around €1 billion annually and managing approximately 8 500 employees. His experience includes large-scale multimodal operations, contract mobilisation and performance management under complex public service concession frameworks.

Etihad Rail represents one of the largest rail investments undertaken in the Gulf region, forming the backbone of the UAE’s long-term transport and logistics strategy. The standard-gauge corridor is engineered for 200 km/h passenger operations alongside heavy freight traffic, with provision for future integration into the planned GCC railway network. Long-term forecasts indicate passenger volumes could reach up to 36 million annually by 2030 once the system is fully operational.

Immediate priorities under Dupuis’s leadership will centre on operational readiness for passenger launch, safety certification across mixed-traffic sections, and integration of rolling stock, signalling and station systems. Key challenges include phased capacity ramp-up, workforce training for a new national passenger operator, and coordination with federal and emirate-level transport authorities to ensure timetable stability and service reliability from day one.