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Rail transport in Jordan

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A train in Amman

Rail transport in Jordan refers to the two main railways in Jordan both of whom are direct descendants of the 1908 Ottoman Hejaz railway in Transjordan. The main rail is the Hejaz Jordan Railway which operates passenger trains. The second rail is the Aqaba Railway, which closed in 2018. Aqaba Railway was a freight train that transported phosphate to the port of Aqaba until 2018. Jordan has a total of 507 km of narrow gauge railways (1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in)) as of 2008.

The Hejaz Jordan Railway is the only passenger railway currently operating in Jordan, connecting Jiza, Amman, Zarqa and Mafraq. Previously it used to connect to Damascus until the Syrian Civil War caused the closure of the Jordanian-Syrian train link. The Jordanian part is narrow gauge; the rest of the Syrian network uses 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge.

Hejaz Jordan Railway

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Hejaz Jordan Railway
Hejaz Jordan Railway steam locomotive traveling from Mafraq in 2000. One of several Thai Pacific locomotives built in Japan for Thailand, it (and several others) was never delivered there and ended up in on the HJR as the railway's number 82.
Overview
HeadquartersAmman
Reporting markHJR
Localewestern Jordan
Dates of operation1920–present
PredecessorHejaz Railway
Technical
Track gauge1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in)
Length1,320 km (820 mi)
Other
Websitehttp://www.jhr.gov.jo/
Main article: Hejaz railway
Label on a locomotive of Hejaz Jordan Railway.

The Hejaz Jordan Railway (HJR) is one of the two successor railways to the 1908 Ottoman Hejaz Railway in Jordan. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1920, the Hejaz Railway, formerly under Ottoman control, was divided into 2 railways: the Aqaba Railway and the Hejaz Jordan Railway. When Jordan became independent in 1946, the HJR served as the main railway of Jordan for passengers. In 1975 the HJR built a line branch line from Ma'an to Aqaba on the Red Sea. The line was later sold to the Aqaba Railway Corporation in 1979.

Since the Syrian Civil War the Hejaz Jordan Railway connection between Jordan and the Damascus terminal in Syria has been suspended. In September 2025, Turkey, Syria and Jordan agreed on a draft memorandum to restore the track built by the historic Hejaz Railway between the three countries.[1]

Stations

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List of stations.[2]

Locomotives

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The following may not be a complete list.

Steam

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Steam locomotives include:[3][4]

Running number Wheel arrangement Builder and works number Date built
23 2-8-2 Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, 7433 1951
51 2-8-2 Arnold Jung, 12081 1955
61 (63) 2-6-2T Haine St Pierre, Belgium, 2147 1955
71 2-8-2 Haine St Pierre, Belgium, 2144 1955
82 4-6-2 Nippon Sharyo, 1610 1953/1959 (sources differ)

Diesel

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Diesel locomotives include:[citation needed]

Quantity Wheel arrangement Builder and type Date built
3 A1A-A1A GE U10B 1976

Museum

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There is a museum at Amman station. In 2003, it contained more than 250 exhibits, including murals depicting the development of the railway.[5]

Aqaba Railway

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Aqaba Railway
A phosphate train near Ma'an
Overview
HeadquartersAqaba
Reporting markARC
LocaleJordan
Dates of operation1979–2018
PredecessorHejaz Railway
Technical
Track gauge1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in)
Other
Websitehttps://www.arcjo.com/
A phosphate train near Ma'an.

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 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.[6]

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.[6] Operations of the railway were suspended in 2018 when phosphate transport was transferred to a new terminal which is not rail connected.[7] 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.[8]

History

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Jordan had two connected but non-contiguously operated sections of the 1908 Ottoman Hejaz Railway that still exist:

  • From Jiza, south of Jordan to Amman and then to Damascus, as the "Hejaz Jordan Railway". The northern part of the train connecting Amman to Damascus ceased to operate due to the Syrian Civil War.[9]
  • From phosphate mines near Ma'an to the Gulf of Aqaba as the "Aqaba Railway". Aqaba Railway ceased operations in 2018 after the transport of phosphate was moved to a different terminal in Port of Aqaba

In the 2000s, Jordanian government began acquiring land for new rail routes. Following a study by BNP Paribas, three routes were planned, which were expected to be tendered later in 2010. The three routes were:[10]

  1. From the Syrian border, via Zarqa, to the Saudi border; replacing part of the Hejaz Railway;
  2. Connecting the first line to Aqaba, and from Mafraq to Irbid, replacing another part of the Hejaz railway;
  3. A link to the Iraqi border.

However, in late 2010, the government announced an economic relief package and following the 2011 Jordanian protests it was decided to reduce the expected three-year capital investment plan in the national railway network by 72 percent, partly to fund the relief package.[11]

In August 2011, the Jordanian government approved the construction of the railway from Aqaba to the Iraqi border (near Trebil). Iraq started the construction of the line from the border to their current railhead at Ramadi.[12]

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.[13][14] It plans to upgrade the gauge from 1050mm as built in 1975 to 1435mm Standard gauge. [14]

Future

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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.[15]

Hejaz Railway Revival

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In April 2026, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey signed a landmark trilateral transport agreement to accelerate this revival, transforming the historic Hejaz Railway into a modern freight and passenger corridor linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.[16] The agreement aims to complete the Amman–Damascus passenger link by the end of 2026, with Türkiye rebuilding a missing 30‑kilometer section of track in Syrian territory and Jordan providing maintenance and operational support for the rolling stock.[17] The broader vision includes establishing a continuous north–south corridor connecting Southern Europe to the Persian Gulf within five years, with eventual integration into the Saudi and wider Gulf Cooperation Council rail networks.[18]

Aqaba Railway Project

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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.[19][20]

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.[21] 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

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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.[22]

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.[23]

Light Rail Transit

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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.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Hejaz railway that once stretched from Damascus to Madinah set to be revived". The National. 26 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Stations | Jordan Hejaz Railway". Jhr.gov.jo. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  3. ^ "Jordan Hejaz Railway مؤسسة الخط الحجازي الأردني.:.The Stations". English.jh-railway.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-10. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  4. ^ "Steam Locomotive Information". Steamlocomotive.info. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  5. ^ "Brief about the Museum | Jordan Hejaz Railway". Jhr.gov.jo. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  6. ^ a b "2.4 Jordan Railway Assessment | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments". dlca.logcluster.org. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  7. ^ "Jordan and UAE to co-operate on Aqaba railway project". Railway Gazette International. 6 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Etihad Rail leads new railway construction in Jordan". 6 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Hejaz Railway: Turning Jordan's historic line into a park for the people". Middle East Eye. 13 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Railway Gazette: Ambitious strategy ready to start". Archived from the original on 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  11. ^ Obeidat, Omar (14 March 2011). "Budget deficit prompts cuts in three-year development plan". The Jordan Times. Retrieved 9 April 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ^ Construction begins on 500km Jordan-Iraq railway, Construction Week, August 24, 2011
  13. ^ Release, Press. "Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund showcases achievements and future plans". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  14. ^ a b "Jordanian ambitions, Saudi funds: A look at Saudi investments in Jordan". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  15. ^ Agency (Petra), Jordan News. "Jordan?UAE Aqaba Railway Project to Boost Economy, Position Kingdom as Regional Logistics Hub". Jordan News Agency - Petra. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  16. ^ "Türkiye, Jordan, Syria sign trilateral deal on transport to boost regional trade". Anadolu Agency. 7 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  17. ^ "Damascus-Amman train link could be completed by 2026 as historic Hijaz railway restoration plan gains steam". Arab News. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  18. ^ "Turkey-Syria-Jordan deal revives historic Middle East railway". The New Arab. 17 April 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  19. ^ Petra (2026-04-15). "Jordan, UAE Launch $2.3 Billion Aqaba Railway to Modernize Regional Trade, Logistics Infrastructure". Fana News. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  20. ^ Agency (Petra), Jordan News. "Jordan, UAE Launch $2.3 Billion Aqaba Railway to Modernize Regional Trade, Logistics Infrastructure". Jordan News Agency - Petra. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  21. ^ Newspaper, Aletihad (2026-04-15). "Mansour bin Zayed, Jordanian PM witness signing of agreement to develop rail network in Jordan, establish UAE–Jordan Railway Company". Aletihad Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  22. ^ "Jordan National Railway Project: Aqaba – Amman Railway Line". www.dar.com. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  23. ^ "2.4 Jordan Railway Assessment | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments". lca.logcluster.org. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  24. ^ "Jordan revives Hijaz line with new light rail to Queen Alia Airport". Roya News. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
[edit]
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Aqaba Railway Corporation at Wikimedia Commons
  • The Hejaz Railway: Damascus to Amman, 1981
  • A piece of railway history, 2006
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