Railway.. $2.5 billion to enhance export competitiveness and connect Jordan regionally
Amman3 min read
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The Aqaba-Shudaydah-Ma'an railway project is moving into the actual implementation phase, following the laying of the project's cornerstone, with an investment of approximately $2.5 billion, and a total length of 403 kilometers, in a move aimed at reducing the cost of transporting phosphates and potash and enhancing the competitiveness of national exports, alongside establishing a nucleus for a broader national railway network.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport, Muhammad Al-Duwairi, told Al-Rai that laying the cornerstone represents the transition to the actual implementation phase, where the Jordanian-Emirates Railway Company will begin executing the main works and components of the project, including the construction of railway tracks, infrastructure, and associated facilities.
He explained that the project extends over a total length of 403 kilometers, of which about 360 kilometers are main tracks linked to the transport of phosphates and potash, in addition to the Shudaydah-Ma'an link of about 43 kilometers.
Al-Duwairi pointed out that the railway system aims to transport about 16 million tons annually of phosphates and potash, enhancing the efficiency of transporting mining products from production areas to the port of Aqaba.
$40 million annual savings
According to Al-Duwairi, the project is expected to reduce the cost of transporting phosphates and potash by about $40 million annually, which enhances the competitiveness of national exports and supports the competitiveness of phosphate and potash companies in global markets.
The project places railway transport in an economic role that goes beyond providing an alternative to land transport, by reducing the costs of supply chains and increasing the efficiency of the movement of mining products from production areas to export ports.
From mining to a multi-use transport network
Al-Duwairi explained that the focus in the first phase will be on transporting phosphates and potash, but the connection of the railway to Ma'an land port allows for future expansion in transporting goods and containers, and connecting ports with production centers, internal logistics facilities, and regional markets.
He said that the project plays a clear role in serving the mining sector, but at the same time, it establishes a multi-use railway transport infrastructure that can expand to serve the movement of goods and containers.
Nucleus of a national network
Al-Duwairi confirmed that the Aqaba-Shudaydah-Ma'an railway project represents the basic phase from which the national railway network will start, and it is not seen as a separate line for transporting phosphates and potash, but as the nucleus of a broader railway system that connects production centers, ports, logistics centers, and border crossings.
He explained that future expansions could extend from the Shudaydah area towards Ma'an and Al-Mazuna, then north towards the borders and crossings, reaching Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
He pointed out that this system will make the port of Aqaba the maritime starting point, production and mining centers and dry ports as internal centers, and borders and regional markets as extensions of the network, enhancing Jordan's position as a hub for transport, trade, and logistics services.
