Saudi Arabia and Türkiye Agree to Revive Historic Hejaz Railway Corridor
Ottoman-era rail network linking Türkiye to the Arabian Peninsula through Syria and Jordan could return as regional powers seek to boost trade, logistics and overland connectivity.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have taken a significant step towards restoring the historic Hejaz Railway, signing a series of agreements aimed at reviving one of the Middle East’s most iconic transport corridors and strengthening regional trade links.
The agreements, signed during talks in Riyadh between Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and Saudi officials, focus on expanding railway cooperation and improving transport and logistics services between the two countries.
The initiative forms part of a broader regional strategy to reconnect railway infrastructure across the Middle East and establish alternative overland transport routes linking Asia and the Gulf.
The proposed project seeks to restore and modernise sections of the century-old Hejaz Railway, which once connected Damascus to Medina through present-day Syria and Jordan during the Ottoman era.
Under the emerging plan, the railway would also reconnect southern Türkiye with Syria through Aleppo before continuing to Damascus and Jordan, creating a continuous rail corridor stretching deep into the Arabian Peninsula.
Regional officials say technical and engineering studies are now underway to assess the infrastructure required to rebuild sections of the line that have been damaged by decades of conflict and neglect.
The proposed restoration follows a separate transport agreement signed by Türkiye, Syria and Jordan, aimed at reintegrating regional rail networks and improving cross-border connectivity.
First constructed in the early twentieth century under the Ottoman Empire, the Hejaz Railway was originally designed to facilitate travel and commerce across the region, including the movement of pilgrims journeying to the holy cities of Islam.
Large sections of the railway were destroyed during the First World War, leaving much of the once-strategic network abandoned for more than a century.
The renewed push to revive the corridor comes as governments across the region seek alternatives to increasingly vulnerable maritime trade routes, particularly amid geopolitical tensions affecting global shipping lanes.
Officials involved in the discussions believe a restored railway could facilitate the movement of goods, energy supplies and passengers across multiple countries while reducing dependence on sea transport.
Beyond its commercial value, the project is also viewed as a symbol of deeper regional economic integration, with the potential to reconnect infrastructure that has remained fragmented for decades.
The long-term vision, according to officials familiar with the initiative, extends beyond Saudi Arabia and Jordan, with ambitions for the corridor to eventually reach other Gulf states and potentially connect to routes leading towards the Arabian Sea, creating a new strategic land bridge across the Middle East.
If realised, the restoration of the Hejaz Railway would mark one of the most ambitious cross-border transport projects undertaken in the region in recent decades, reviving a route that once served as a vital artery of commerce, pilgrimage and political connectivity.
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