Rail transport in Jordan

The '''Aqaba Railway''' was a [[freight railway]] that was managed by the Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC) and operated in southern [[Jordan]]. In 1908 the [[Ottoman Empire]] built the [[Hejaz Railway]], that ran from [[Damascus]] to [[Medina]]. After [[World War I]] and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the railway never operated south of [[Ma'an]]. The [[Hedjaz Jordan Railway|Hejaz Jordan Railway]] operated the tracks of the Hejaz railway in Jordan. In 1975 the railway built a branch from Ma'an to [[Aqaba]], a port city on the [[Gulf of Aqaba]]. In 1979 the Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC) was incorporated and took over the route from Abiad to [[Aqaba]]. The purpose of the ARC was to transport [[phosphates]] from mines near Abiad and Ma'an to the port in Aqaba. The ARC operated only freight trains powered by [[GE U17C]] diesel locomotives.{{Cite web |title=2.4 Jordan Railway Assessment {{!}} Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments |url=https://dlca.logcluster.org/24-jordan-railway-assessment |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=dlca.logcluster.org}}

The '''Aqaba Railway''' was a [[freight railway]] that was managed by the Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC) and operated in southern [[Jordan]]. In 1908 the [[Ottoman Empire]] built the [[Hejaz Railway]], that ran from [[Damascus]] to [[Medina]]. After [[World War I]] and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the railway never operated south of [[Ma'an]]. The [[Hedjaz Jordan Railway|Hejaz Jordan Railway]] operated the tracks of the Hejaz railway in Jordan. In 1975 the railway built a branch from Ma'an to [[Aqaba]], a port city on the [[Gulf of Aqaba]]. In 1979 the Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC) was incorporated and took over the route from Abiad to [[Aqaba]]. The purpose of the ARC was to transport [[phosphates]] from mines near Abiad and Ma'an to the port in Aqaba. The ARC operated only freight trains powered by [[GE U17C]] diesel locomotives.{{Cite web |title=2.4 Jordan Railway Assessment {{!}} Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments |url=https://dlca.logcluster.org/24-jordan-railway-assessment |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=dlca.logcluster.org}}

The railway was formed in 1979 to transport [[phosphate]] to the port in [[Aqaba]]. It partly used the tracks of the 1908 Ottoman [[Hejaz Railway]]. Operations of the railway were suspended in 2018 when phosphate transport was transferred to a new terminal which is not rail connected.{{cite web|title=Jordan and UAE to co-operate on Aqaba railway project|publisher=Railway Gazette International|date=6 September 2024|url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/jordan-and-uae-to-co-operate-on-aqaba-railway-project/67326.article}} A successor line to transport phosphate from [[Al Shidiya]] and [[Ghor es-Safi]] to the new terminal in [[Port of Aqaba]] is planned through an agreement between Jordan's Ministry for Transport and [[Etihad Rail]].{{cite web|url=https://www.gccrailway.com/etihad-rail-leads-new-railway-construction-in-jordan/|title=Etihad Rail leads new railway construction in Jordan|date=6 September 2024}}

The railway was formed in 1979 to transport [[phosphate]] to the port in [[Aqaba]]. It partly used the tracks of the 1908 Ottoman [[Hejaz Railway]]. Operations of the railway were suspended in 2018 when phosphate transport was transferred to a new terminal which is not rail connected.{{cite web|title=Jordan and UAE to co-operate on Aqaba railway project|publisher=Railway Gazette International|date=6 September 2024|url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/jordan-and-uae-to-co-operate-on-aqaba-railway-project/67326.article}} A successor line to transport phosphate from Al Shidiya and [[Ghor es-Safi]] to the new terminal in [[Port of Aqaba]] is planned through an agreement between Jordan's Ministry for Transport and [[Etihad Rail]].{{cite web|url=https://www.gccrailway.com/etihad-rail-leads-new-railway-construction-in-jordan/|title=Etihad Rail leads new railway construction in Jordan|date=6 September 2024}}

==History==

==History==

Jordan planned for a [[Aqaba]]-[[Ma'an]] railway modernization with the [[Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund]]. In 2019 they signed a memorandum of understanding with the [[Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority]] to invest 500 million JD (around $700 million) to redevelop the [[Aqaba]]-[[Ma'an]] railway alongside building a [[dry port]] in [[Ma'an]].{{Cite web |last=Release |first=Press |title=Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund showcases achievements and future plans |url=https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/saudi-jordanian-investment-fund-showcases-achievements-and-future-plans-v1k9xwpw |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=www.zawya.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jordanian ambitions, Saudi funds: A look at Saudi investments in Jordan |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/jordanian-ambitions-saudi-funds-look-saudi-investments-jordan |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Middle East Institute |language=en}} It plans to upgrade the gauge from 1050mm as built in 1975 to 1435mm [[Standard gauge]].

Jordan planned for a [[Aqaba]]-[[Ma'an]] railway modernization with the [[Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund]]. In 2019 they signed a memorandum of understanding with the [[Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority]] to invest 500 million JD (around $700 million) to redevelop the [[Aqaba]]-[[Ma'an]] railway alongside building a [[dry port]] in [[Ma'an]].{{Cite web |last=Release |first=Press |title=Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund showcases achievements and future plans |url=https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/saudi-jordanian-investment-fund-showcases-achievements-and-future-plans-v1k9xwpw |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=www.zawya.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Jordanian ambitions, Saudi funds: A look at Saudi investments in Jordan |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/jordanian-ambitions-saudi-funds-look-saudi-investments-jordan |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Middle East Institute |language=en}} It plans to upgrade the gauge from 1050mm as built in 1975 to 1435mm [[Standard gauge]].

== Future ==

Jordan is currently undertaking several major railway projects aimed at modernizing and expanding its rail network, as part of the country's Economic Modernization Vision 2033.{{Cite web |last=Agency (Petra) |first=Jordan News |title=Jordan?UAE Aqaba Railway Project to Boost Economy, Position Kingdom as Regional Logistics Hub |url=https://petra.gov.jo/Include/InnerPage.jsp?ID=83597&lang=en&name=en_news |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=Jordan News Agency - Petra}}

=== Aqaba Railway Project ===

In April 2026, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement to develop the $2.3 billion Aqaba Port Railway project, the largest railway investment in the Kingdom's history. The project involves constructing a 360‑kilometre standard‑gauge freight railway linking the phosphate mines at Al‑Shidiya and the potash production sites at Ghor Al‑Safi to the industrial terminals at the Port of Aqaba. The line is designed to transport approximately 16 million tonnes of minerals annually, comprising 13 million tonnes of phosphate and 2.6 million tonnes of potash, and will include extensive tunneling and bridging to traverse the rugged terrain of southern Jordan.{{Cite web |last=Petra |date=2026-04-15 |title=Jordan, UAE Launch $2.3 Billion Aqaba Railway to Modernize Regional Trade, Logistics Infrastructure |url=https://www.fananews.com/language/en/jordan-uae-launch-2-3-billion-aqaba-railway-to-modernize-regional-trade-logistics-infrastructure/ |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=Fana News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Agency (Petra) |first=Jordan News |title=Jordan, UAE Launch $2.3 Billion Aqaba Railway to Modernize Regional Trade, Logistics Infrastructure |url=https://petra.gov.jo/Include/InnerPage.jsp?ID=83503&lang=en&name=en_news |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=Jordan News Agency - Petra}}

The venture is structured as a 50‑50 joint venture between a consortium of Jordanian sovereign and industrial entities (including Jordan Phosphate Mines Company, Arab Potash Company, the Government Investments Management Company, and the Social Security Investment Fund) and the Abu Dhabi‑based sovereign investment platform L'IMAD Holding.{{Cite web |last=Newspaper |first=Aletihad |date=2026-04-15 |title=Mansour bin Zayed, Jordanian PM witness signing of agreement to develop rail network in Jordan, establish UAE–Jordan Railway Company |url=https://en.aletihad.ae/news/uae/4658684/mansour-bin-zayed--jordanian-pm-witness-signing-of-agreement |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=Aletihad Newspaper |language=en-EN}} The joint company, UAE–Jordan Railway Company, will be responsible for implementation, operation, and maintenance, with Etihad Rail serving as the executing arm. Financial closure is expected by early 2027, with construction projected to take five years.

The Aqaba Railway is intended to be the foundational phase of a broader national rail network. The government envisions extending the line northward toward the Madounah area near Amman, and eventually to Syria, the Mediterranean, and Turkey, with connections to Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council network.

=== National Railway Network and Regional Connectivity ===

Beyond the Aqaba project, Jordan's Ministry of Transport is advancing the Jordan National Railway Project—a planned 897‑kilometre standard‑gauge freight network that would link Amman, Zarqa, and Mafraq to the Port of Aqaba and the Shidiya mine, with connections to the railways of Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iraq. A separate design study for an Aqaba–Amman line has been prepared by engineering firm Dar, envisioning a 418‑kilometer closed‑loop railway projected to carry 40 million tonnes of freight by 2030 and 50 million tonnes by 2040.{{Cite web |title=Jordan National Railway Project: Aqaba – Amman Railway Line |url=https://www.dar.com/work/project/jordan-national-railway-project-aqaba-amman-railway-line- |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=www.dar.com |language=en-US}}

The Jordanian government has also been exploring cross‑border rail links with Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and discussions are ongoing with Syria and Turkey regarding the restoration of the historic Hejaz Railway connection. In 2025, limited heritage passenger services on the Hejaz Jordan Railway were launched between Amman and Mafraq, with plans to resume symbolic trips to Daraa, Syria, pending coordination with Syrian authorities.{{Cite web |title=2.4 Jordan Railway Assessment {{!}} Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments |url=https://lca.logcluster.org/24-jordan-railway-assessment |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=lca.logcluster.org}}

=== Light Rail Transit ===

Plans are also advancing for urban rail. The Jordan Hejaz Railway has revived a long‑proposed Zarqa–Amman light rail project, with a study resubmitted to the government for review. In addition, the Ministry of Investment has unveiled a project to convert the historic Hejaz railway corridor into a 60‑kilometer Light Rail Transit system connecting Zarqa through East Amman to Queen Alia International Airport, complementing the city's existing Bus Rapid Transit network.{{Cite web |title=Jordan revives Hijaz line with new light rail to Queen Alia Airport |url=https://en.royanews.tv/news/66935 |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=Roya News |language=en}}

==See also==

==See also==