From relic to lifeline: What the Hejaz Railway’s return could mean for the Middle East
The rail line, once central to ferrying pilgrims from Istanbul to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca, could once again link some of the Middle East’s most important urban centres
A century after it fell into disrepair, the Ottoman-built Hejaz Railway is edging toward a revival that regional officials say could carry more than just trains – promising to restore trade, travel and cooperation across Türkiye, Syria and Jordan.
At a meeting of transport officials in Amman earlier this month, the three neighbours agreed to take what they called "the first concrete step" toward modernising and reopening the 1,750-kilometre track. The line, once central to ferrying pilgrims from Istanbul to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca, could once again link some of the Middle East's most important urban centres, says TRT World.
Türkiye has pledged to help rebuild a missing section of track in Syria, while Jordan is exploring technical support for locomotive maintenance and the potential to operate heritage engines as far as Damascus. The countries also drew up a draft memorandum to expand cooperation across road, rail and logistics networks, with a formal signing expected later this year.
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One immediate breakthrough was agreement to restore road transport between Türkiye and Jordan via Syria, ending a 13-year suspension. Ankara has also highlighted the strategic value of a revived route connecting Turkish industries to Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba, potentially strengthening supply chains across the Middle East and Africa.
Over the decades, surviving stations and locomotives became relics of a bygone era. Today, officials hope to transform them once again into arteries of trade and travel
"This is not only a powerful historical symbol but also a tangible driver of prosperity and regional cooperation," said Suay Nilhan Acikalin, an international relations scholar at Ankara's Haci Bayram Veli University. "With Syria now stabilising, projects that were once unimaginable are becoming feasible."
A wider push
The project forms part of Türkiye's broader push to open new trade corridors, alongside plans for a Development Road with Iraq and a possible Zangezur corridor in the South Caucasus.
The Hejaz Railway was inaugurated in 1908 under Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, connecting Istanbul to Medina and easing the pilgrimage to Mecca
"Restoring the Syria–Jordan section would reopen a vital trade artery between Türkiye and the Red Sea," said Oktay Firat Tanrisever, professor of international relations at Middle East Technical University. "It would allow Türkiye to expand commerce with Saudi Arabia and the Horn of Africa, while giving Syria and Jordan new routes for growth."
The initiative underscores how shifting regional dynamics are making once-frozen infrastructure projects possible. "For decades, conflict crippled the lands through which the Hejaz Railway passed," Acikalin said. "Now, with renewed stability, the line could stitch together Iraq, Syria, Türkiye and beyond."
A railway with history
The Hejaz Railway was inaugurated in 1908 under Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, connecting Istanbul to Medina and easing the pilgrimage to Mecca. The line also carried goods and officials across the deserts of Syria and Jordan, before its collapse during World War I left much of it abandoned.
Over the decades, surviving stations and locomotives became relics of a bygone era. Today, officials hope to transform them once again into arteries of trade and travel.
"Reviving the Hejaz Railway is not only about restoring a line of steel and stone," said Türkiye's Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu. "It is about reconnecting peoples, opening new trade routes, and building a future of stability and prosperity."
If completed, the reborn railway would stand as both a resurrection of history and a reimagining of the region's future – a network stretching from the Bosphorus to the Red Sea, carrying commerce, cooperation and perhaps a measure of reconciliation.
