Addressing Barriers to Environmental, Social, and Governance Integration for Enhanced Sustainability in the UAE Rail Transport Sector

Abstract

The rapid development of rail infrastructure in the UAE highlights the growing need for effective Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration with regard to transport projects. This research will therefore present ways to remove barriers to sustainability within railway development projects in the UAE by examining and prioritising barriers to sustainability in this context. A sequential mixed-methods approach was used, combining expert interviews and quantitative ranking techniques. Analysis has shown that the most important barriers lie in those areas in which integrated ESG monitoring systems are limited by data availability when it comes to environmental performance tracking, weak alignment between organisational culture and sustainability objectives, and operational challenges in embedding ESG principles across project lifecycles. Solutions to improve sustainability projects include using technology to generate ESG sustainability reports, professional development programmes, and aligning policies between strategic regulators and project implementers. The outcomes add to the existing body of knowledge by formulating a barrier-solution tailored approach for the UAE railway industry context which can serve as a roadmap for decision makers with regard to how to enhance the ESG maturation stage. The findings are expected to serve as indicators for future project design on how to implement ESG indicators effectively. It is advisable to conduct further studies to validate the framework on projects that are already on track, include more participants, and to investigate how smart technology could enhance sustainability integration.