A 360km community will join potash and phosphate mines with the port of Aqaba.
The 1050mm-gauge Aqaba Railway, which ran from Ma’an to the port of Aqaba, closed in 2018.
ETIHAD Rail has signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Transport of Jordan and Jordanian firms to develop, construct function and preserve a brand new 360km railway. The governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan additionally signed a $US 2.3bn funding settlement for the undertaking that can hyperlink the Crimson Sea port of Aqaba with phosphate and potash mines in Al-Shidiya and Ghor Al-Safi on September 4.
Two strains might be constructed beneath the plan. Sharing tracks from Aqaba to Wadi Al-Yatam, the primary line will head north to Al-Shidiya, whereas the second will proceed east from Wadi Al-Yatam by way of Ghor Al-Safi to Wadi Araba.
Along with railway infrastructure, the funding settlement foresees the development of terminals in Aqaba, Ghor Al-Safi, and Al-Shidiya. Etihad Rail additionally signed two additional MoUs with Jordan Phosphate Mines Firm and Arab Potash Firm to move 16 million tonnes of phosphate and potash.
Detailed research for the brand new railway, in addition to the dealing with necessities for potash and phosphate, are due for completion by the tip of 2025. The aim is to subject tenders for building in early 2026 and full the undertaking in 2030.
The rail undertaking is a part of a $US 5.5bn funding bundle signed between Jordan and the UAE in November 2023.
“The agreements and MoUs signed by Etihad Rail reinforce our ongoing dedication to strengthening our presence within the area,” says Mr Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail.
“We’re eager to leverage our confirmed experience in creating and working the UAE Nationwide Railway Community to help the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s bold plans for advancing its rail infrastructure and driving financial progress.”
The UAE is one the biggest overseas traders in Jordan, investing round $US 22.5bn in numerous sectors of the nation’s economic system over the previous 10 years.
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