Turkey plans to extend Hejaz railway to Oman

Turkey is planning to extend the historic Hejaz railway to Oman to create an alternative global trade route to the Strait of Hormuz.

The initial stage involves connecting Turkey to Aleppo in northwestern Syria using the existing Aleppo-Damascus-Jordan network, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.

Negotiations are continuing with Saudi authorities, with the final goal being to reach Oman and create an alternative to the strait, he said.

In September, Turkey joined forces with Syria and Jordan to return the Hejaz railway to service.

The historic Hejaz line was part of an Ottoman-era narrow-gauge railway linking Istanbul to Medina in Saudi Arabia via Damascus and Amman, though much of it, including the Jordanian component, fell into disrepair after the First World War.

The design of the Development Road Project is complete, the minister said, adding that the project awaits a calmer regional environment before proceeding with construction.

The $17 billion project will build a 1,200km railway and parallel motorway linking Iraq’s Grand Faw Port in the oil-rich south to the Turkish border, where it will connect to Europe via Turkey’s rail network. It will be funded by the UAE, Qatar, Iraq and Turkey.

Oman informed Iraq in September last year that it wants to be part of the project, Iraq’s transport minister Razzak Al-Saadawi said.

In March, Uraloglu said the project, announced in 2023, is estimated to boost the Turkish economy by $55 billion during the next decade.

Further reading:

• Turkey to reopen historic logistics link to Red Sea
• Development Road will add ‘billions’ to Turkish economy
• Strait crisis revives focus on Jordan’s missing rail link