Turkiye plans Hejaz Railway revival, extension to Oman
MKHAIBEH, JORDAN- MARCH 14: Disused parts of the Hejaz Railway seen on March 14, 2007 in Mkhaibeh Jordan. Image used for illustrative purpose. Getty Images
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Project proposed as alternative regional trade corridor bypassing the Strait of Hormuz
Majda Muhsen, Zawya Projects
June 4, 2026
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Turkiye is planning to modernise the historic Hejaz Railway and extend it to Oman to create an alternative global trade route to the Strait of Hormuz, state-owned Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.
The report quoted Türkiye transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu as saying that the country aims to revive the historical line for both tourism and modern transit.
The initial stage involves connecting Turkiye to Aleppo in Syria, utilising the existing Aleppo-Damascus-Jordan network.
The minister told the agency that discussions to revive the network are underway with Saudi authorities, adding that the final goal remains extending the line to Oman to create an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
Built between 1900 and 1908, Hejaz Railway extended for about 1,322 kilometres (km) between Damascus and Madinah, with further extensions taking its total length to about 1,900km.
In April this year, Ministers of transport from Syria, Jordan, and Turkiye had signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding in Amman aimed at developing transport and logistics connectivity among the three countries within a three-year follow-up programme. The scope of the agreement also included regional rail connectivity.
Regarding the 1,200-km Development Road project stretching from Iraq’s Basra to the Turkish border, Uraloglu confirmed that the design phase is complete.
He said the massive corridor, which includes highways, railways, energy, and communication lines, will be realised through international funding in partnership with the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, and Turkiye.
(Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)
(anoop.menon@lseg.com)
