Türkiye, Syria and Jordan have agreed to modernize their railway systems with the aim of eventually creating a corridor between Southern Europe and the Persian Gulf, according to Bloomberg News on Thursday, quoting a top Turkish official.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu told Bloomberg on Wednesday that he had reached an agreement with his Syrian and Jordanian counterparts in a meeting last week, the report said.
He said the network is expected to take four to five years to build, after which it is planned to be connected to the rail system in Saudi Arabia.
The report comes after Uraloğlu's visit to Amman last week, where he held trilateral talks with his Syrian and Jordanian counterparts.
At the time, they signed a memorandum of understanding on transport cooperation, aiming to strengthen regional connectivity and boost trade across a key North-South corridor.
Uraloğlu also highlighted the strategic importance of establishing a fully functional North-South transport corridor, supported by modernized road and rail infrastructure.
Referring to historical ties, Uraloğlu then pointed to the symbolic and practical importance of reviving the Hejaz Railway – originally built by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and inaugurated in 1908 to link Istanbul with Mecca, Medina, Yemen and Damascus – in line with modern standards.
Türkiye's role as a transportation and energy corridor came to the center of talks amid the latest conflict in the Middle East, which has effectively shut down passages through the Strait of Hormuz, while also disrupting logistics and aviation sectors.
Ankara has positioned itself as a "safe haven" in the "circle of fire," emphasizing the significance of land corridors and connectivity among regional actors to ensure the continuation of the delivery of key goods.
Earlier this week, Uraloğlu's ministry also announced that a strategic 350-kilometer (217-mile) railway corridor stretching along the Syrian border was opened to freight traffic following an infrastructure overhaul after 13 years.
