UAE and Jordan jointly build Aqaba Port Railway: Opening up the major artery for mining exports

In April 2026, the UAE and Jordan formally signed an agreement to launch the Aqaba Port railway project. This project is the largest railway infrastructure initiative in Jordan's history, with a total investment of approximately $2.3 billion, jointly advanced by the two countries, and a joint venture company will be established to handle construction and operation.

Connecting Mining Areas and the Port: A Long-Standing Bottleneck

Jordan is a major global producer of phosphate and potash, but for a long time, transporting mineral products from the southern desert mining areas to Aqaba Port has relied mainly on roads, resulting in high costs and limited efficiency. As Jordan's only seaport, Aqaba Port handles the vast majority of foreign trade cargo imports and exports, yet its potential has not been fully realized due to shortcomings in inland logistics. The railway project launched this time is precisely intended to clear this critical bottleneck.

360 km Railway: An Upgrade Engine for Mining Exports

According to the agreement, the railway network will span about 360 kilometers in total, divided into two main corridors that connect the two major mining areas of Al-Shidia and Ghor Safi with Aqaba Port. The project is designed with an annual transport capacity of 16 million tons of raw materials, including approximately 13 million tons of phosphate and 2.6 million tons of potash. Using dedicated railway lines to transport bulk goods will significantly shorten transit times and reduce unit costs, potentially doubling Jordan's phosphate and potash exports and strengthening its competitiveness in the international market. The project also plans to study extensions to the Al-Shidia Basin and the Ma'an development area, and to build a logistics corridor between Ma'an and Aqaba.

Economic and Social Significance: More Than Just a Railway

Railway construction will directly create a large number of jobs and drive related industries such as construction and building materials. The operation phase will require talent in maintenance, dispatching, and logistics management. The UAE side will bring in the technology and experience of the national railway company Etihad Rail to help Jordan cultivate local rail operation capabilities. The project also includes a compensation plan for affected landowners in the Al-Ghor area, providing alternative land to reduce social impact. In the long run, this railway will strengthen Aqaba Port's position as a strategic logistics hub and bring new economic vitality to the southern region.

Regional Connectivity: From the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, Opening Up Broader Markets

The Aqaba Port railway is not an isolated domestic project. According to the plan, the future railway network is expected to extend northward, connecting via Syria to Mediterranean ports and further on to Turkey and Europe, while also strengthening overland links with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. The container terminal at Aqaba Port already has an annual handling capacity of more than 1 million TEUs, serving markets such as Iraq, Syria, the West Bank, and Lebanon. The railway connection will greatly enhance the port's transshipment function, making Jordan a new logistics corridor linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean and promoting regional economic integration.

From Infrastructure to Growth Pole: A Key Juncture for the Coming DecadeLooking 5 to 15 years ahead, this railway project could fundamentally transform Jordan's industrial landscape. Lower mining logistics costs will attract more investment into resource processing and manufacturing, driving an upgrade of the export structure. Cities and industrial parks along the railway are expected to form new economic growth poles, promoting population and industrial agglomeration. More importantly, the cross-border cooperation model and international financing pathways demonstrated by this project provide a replicable example for other developing economies that rely on commodity exports. Against the backdrop of global supply chain restructuring, the Aqaba Port railway may well be the critical node for Jordan to achieve an economic leap in the next decade.

Reference source: This article is based on Railway Pro's report "The UAE partners with Jordan on the Aqaba Port railway project", original link: https://www.railwaypro.com/wp/the-uae-partners-with-jordan-on-the-aqaba-port-railway-project