Türkiye, Saudi Arabia plan rail link across Middle East

Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are planning to build a railway that would connect at least four Middle Eastern countries into a unified logistics and transport chain, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, has stated.

He said, in modern times, transportation and transport accessibility have become particularly important, especially after wars, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“People need an alternative… Through cooperation, we will unite [the Middle East] region by building a railway from Saudi Arabia to Türkiye via Jordan and Syria, and through Türkiye to all of Europe,” Uraloğlu added.

He made it clear that, in the future, the railway line could “ideally” be extended from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman.

The minister further noted that Ankara and Riyadh have already signed two agreements to advance the project.

Al Arabiya emphasised that the project has gained particular importance amid disruptions to global supply chains caused by the situation around the Strait of Hormuz.

The railway would create an alternative overland route for transporting goods between Asia and Europe.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov