Newsletters
The two memoranda of understanding signed during Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu’s visit to Saudi Arabia (one in the railway sector, the other in logistics services) mark a significant milestone in Türkiye's ongoing effort to transform a strategic vision into physical infrastructure.
The designation of the approximately 3,200-kilometer line stretching from Istanbul to Mecca as the “Modern Hejaz Railway” clearly demonstrates that the project carries both a historical significance and fulfils a multi-layered geopolitical function.
Sultan Abdulhamid II had the 1,322-kilometer steel railway line laid between Damascus and Medina between 1900 and 1908 with the objectives of reinforcing the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire, securing the Hajj route, and extending central authority to distant provinces.
The geopolitical upheaval caused by the First World War shattered this route. The Sykes-Picot borders divided the railway lines between the territories of four countries.
Today, the same route has been redrawn as a line that crosses Türkiye along the Istanbul-Eskisehir-Konya-Adana axis, enters Syrian territory via Aleppo and Damascus, and extends from Amman to Tabuk and Medina, and from there to Mecca and the Port of Jeddah.
There are plans to extend the project as far as Oman and the shores of the Indian Ocean in later stages.
Behind Ankara’s emphasis on this project lies a concrete calculation.
The number of mutual road transport operations between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia had reached 20,000 annually before 2012. Even in the current period, where regional developments have reduced this figure, two trial runs conducted via Iraq have demonstrated the route’s viability.
The completion of the route will significantly enhance Türkiye’s transit revenues and its capacity to redirect trade flows between the Gulf and Europe.
The strategic significance of the project is taking shape against a backdrop where systemic vulnerabilities in maritime trade are becoming increasingly apparent.
The Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, as chokepoints through which global oil and trade flows, face the risk of closure during every geopolitical tension.
Meanwhile, in recent years, the Suez Canal has forced the world’s container traffic onto lengthy African routes due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. This has significantly increased both transport costs and delivery times.
The modern Hejaz Railway comes into play precisely at this point. It offers a land-based alternative to the critical dependence of both the Gulf states and Europe on the seas.
The route passing through Syrian territory has been carefully selected this time.
The re-establishment of Türkiye-Syria relations, alongside the new Damascus-led administration’s regional normalization process, makes the risk at the line’s most critical transit point relatively manageable.
Türkiye’s commitment to providing technical and financial support for the repair of the missing 30-kilometer section of railway in Syria confirms that Ankara views this project as a multi-faceted tool for regional influence.
Jordan’s undertaking to operate and maintain locomotives on the section extending to Damascus adds a dimension of multi-stakeholder ownership to the project.
However, the structural challenges facing the project are also real and should not be underestimated.
The railway infrastructure on Syrian territory is in a state of severe disrepair due to decades of neglect and war damage. Technical operations such as mine clearance, track gauge standardization, signalling upgrades and electrification will be spread over a multi-year timeline.
The fact that feasibility studies are not expected to be completed before the end of 2026 indicates that the project has not yet fully entered the engineering phase.
The financing structure also remains uncertain.
The extent to which Gulf capital will be involved in this project is the key variable that will determine the pace of its implementation.
Nevertheless, the fact that the signed memorandum of understanding includes concrete areas such as the development of technical specifications, signalling systems, research and development, regulatory compliance and partnerships between training academies demonstrates that the parties are determined to move beyond mere protocol diplomacy.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced at the 2023 G20 summit, is a geopolitical project designed to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative, involving a partnership between India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the United States.
The proposed route of this corridor combines a sea route from India to the UAE with a rail link running through Saudi Arabia and Jordan to the Port of Haifa in Israel, from where goods are transported to Europe.
The critical issue for Türkiye, however, is that the route completely excludes it.
Furthermore, the fact that Türkiye has suspended trade with Israel since May 2024 makes the IMEC model unacceptable to Ankara from both political and technical standpoints.
The Modern Hejaz Railway, on the other hand, offers a route connecting the Gulf to European markets via Türkiye without touching Israeli territory. This positions the project as both a political response to IMEC and a strategic alternative.
With this project, Türkiye is translating its ambition to become a key player in the competition between global trade corridors into a concrete engineering project.
Viewed from a broader perspective, this line also serves as a physical manifestation of Türkiye’s deepening relations with the Gulf.
Ankara and Riyadh have witnessed significant rapprochement in recent years across defense, energy and investment sectors. The establishment of railway and logistics cooperation on this foundation adds an institutional depth to the relationship.
Minister Uraloglu’s emphasis on developing transit and bilateral transport, alongside his assertion that the project will boost prosperity in the Gulf, indicates that Ankara is transforming logistics diplomacy into a new soft-power lever.
In this context, it is important to recognize that the project is not a one-dimensional proposition for the Saudi side either.
Economic diversification and the development of logistics capacity lie at the heart of Riyadh’s Vision 2030 agenda. A land corridor linking Europe via Türkiye serves as a direct means of reducing Saudi Arabia’s reliance on sea transport for freight and achieving a more autonomous position within global supply chains.
Indeed, the confirmation by Saudi Transport Minister Salih al-Jasser that joint feasibility studies will be completed by the end of the year demonstrates Riyadh’s level of commitment to the project.
Türkiye’s plan to strengthen the logistics infrastructure extending to the Syrian border via Hatay also stands out as a critical link that will complete the Anatolian leg of this major corridor.
The agreements signed in Riyadh serve as concrete evidence that Ankara has no intention of leaving the region’s new trade architecture to others.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
