UAE backs Jordan’s $2.3bn rail line for mining exports

Unsplash.com/Alan J. Hendry

A new $2.3 billion railway project in Jordan, supported by the UAE, will help increase its mineral export capabilities.

Construction tenders are slated to be issued in early 2026.

Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE national railway network, and Jordan’s transport ministry have signed four agreements for the railway, which will connect the Port of Aqaba to the mining sites of Shidiyah and Ghor Al Safi. 

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The initiative is part of a broader $5.5 billion investment package signed in 2023.

The railway will cover 360 km, connecting phosphate and potash mines to the Port of Aqaba.

Jordan’s prime minister, Bisher Khasawneh, said the railway is expected to be completed within five years, with operations beginning in 2030, state-run Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported.

Detailed studies on railway routes and the handling of phosphate and potash are slated for completion by late 2025.

Upon completion, the railway will have an initial capacity to transport 16 million tonnes of phosphate and potash products, boosting Jordan’s export infrastructure, the prime minister said.

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Additionally, talks are ongoing with UAE companies regarding the potential re-establishment of the Maan dry port, which will bolster Jordan’s logistics network.

Khasawneh said several UAE investments will soon commence in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority without giving details.

In May, Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ completed plans to invest $5 billion in infrastructure and other projects in Jordan.

The UAE’s investment ministry signed a deal with the government of Jordan in November 2023 to explore potential opportunities across a range of sectors worth more than $2 billion.

The UAE’s direct investments into Jordan last year amounted to $4 billion and accounted for 14 percent of the total foreign direct investments received by the kingdom.