Work on a tunnel through mountains on the UAE’s Etihad Rail project has been completed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), reports newspaper The National.

The 1.8km-long excavation, which CCECC says is the longest rail tunnel in the Middle East, had to deal with difficult geological conditions. The team used “softer” blasts to forestall a collapse.

The company, a subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corporation, is undertaking tunnelling work in the Hajar Mountains as part of a joint venture with Abu Dhabi contractor National Projects and Construction.

The two were awarded a $1.3bn contract to build 15 tunnels totalling 16km for the 145km Package D, which will connect the ports of Fujairah and Khorfakkan. It is also building 35 bridges and 32 underpasses.