A proposed Saudi-Turkey railway would connect Makkah and Medina to Istanbul via Jordan and Syria, with feasibility studies expected to conclude by the end of the year.
Saudi Transport Minister Saleh al-Jasser said on Wednesday that technical work on the project was ongoing, with close coordination between the parties involved on its overall framework.
In an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, he said the railway would “enhance regional integration, support trade, and develop a sustainable land transport system between countries of the region”.
He added that the kingdom’s national rail network “currently extends to the Jordanian border via the al-Haditha crossing, making it a strategic focal point for future expansion into regional and international connectivity”.
The minister also said Saudi Arabia’s ports and transport corridors “are working in an integrated manner to ensure the continuation of regional trade and facilitate the movement of goods between countries”.
According to al-Jasser, Saudi Arabia “could receive over 17 million containers annually”, underlining the importance of its ports in handling cargo transferred from Gulf states.
The comments follow a report by Bloomberg last week, citing Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, which said Ankara was planning to establish a wider transport corridor stretching from southern Europe to the Gulf as part of efforts to revive the historic Hejaz Railway.
According to the Turkish official, the first phase would focus on upgrading the Turkey-Syria-Jordan line as the backbone of the project. The route would then extend southwards, eventually linking with Saudi Arabia’s rail network and reaching Riyadh.
The report came after Uraloglu’s visit to Amman earlier in April, where he held trilateral talks with his counterparts from Syria and Jordan.
During the visit, the three countries signed a memorandum of understanding on transport cooperation aimed at strengthening regional connectivity and boosting trade along a key north-south corridor.
