Commentary & Analysis

More than a century after trains last moved along much of the historic Hejaz Railway, the prospect of reconnecting Saudi Arabia with Jordan, Syria and Turkiye by rail has returned to the regional agenda. Yet the significance of the proposed corridor lies less in restoring an Ottoman-era railway than in the very different regional environment in which its revival is being considered.

For Saudi Arabia, the project should be viewed within a much broader transformation of the Kingdom's economic geography. Vision 2030 and the National Transport and Logistics Strategy have placed connectivity at the centre of economic diversification, with Saudi Arabia seeking to leverage its position between Asia, Africa and Europe to become a major global logistics hub. At the same time, the regional security environment has exposed the vulnerability of established maritime trade routes and reinforced the importance of diversified supply chains.

The proposed railway therefore brings together several Saudi priorities: logistics development, economic diversification, regional integration, supply-chain resilience and the creation of domestic capabilities in transport and related industries.

The question is no longer simply whether the historic Hejaz Railway can be rebuilt. It is whether a modern version of the corridor can become part of a wider connectivity architecture through which Saudi Arabia strengthens both its economic position and its strategic agency.

A Historic Railway in a New Context

The original Hejaz Railway was among the most ambitious infrastructure projects of its era. Construction began in 1900 under Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, and by 1908 the railway connected Damascus with Medina across approximately 1,300 kilometres. Its principal purpose was to facilitate the movement of pilgrims while also strengthening commercial and administrative links between the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula.

The railway did not survive the political transformations of the early twentieth century. Sections were damaged during the First World War, while the subsequent dissolution of the Ottoman Empire fragmented the line across newly established political boundaries. Although proposals to restore the railway have surfaced periodically since then, none succeeded in recreating it as an integrated regional network.

Political momentum accelerated during 2025 and 2026 as Turkiye, Syria and Jordan advanced discussions on restoring cross-border transport links. In April 2026, the three countries established a framework covering road, rail, maritime, air and multimodal connectivity, creating a foundation for wider regional integration.

Saudi Arabia has since emerged as a leading force in shaping this connectivity agenda, bringing its financial capacity, logistical expertise and strategic position to the development of a more integrated regional transport network. Saudi Transport and Logistics Services Minister Saleh Al-Jasser has confirmed that a feasibility study for a railway connecting Saudi Arabia with Turkiye through Jordan and Syria is expected to be completed before the end of 2026. The proposal builds on Saudi Arabia's existing infrastructure, with the national railway network already reaching Al Haditha near the Jordanian border. This gives the Kingdom a strong starting point for extending its rail system northward and reinforces Saudi Arabia's potential to serve as the principal Gulf gateway to the Levant, Turkiye and European markets.