Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs

On June 9, 2026, Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed two memoranda of understanding in Riyadh; one for railway cooperation and the revival of the historic Hejaz Railway via Syria and Jordan, and the other in the field of logistics, which included plans for establishing an overland fiber optic route along the same geography. These memoranda followed a trilateral agreement between Turkey, Syria, and Jordan signed in April 2026, and their long-term vision includes extending the route to Oman and the Indian Ocean.

Multiple dimensions of the project

The initiative to revive the Hejaz Railway, in addition to being a transportation project, has at least three important dimensions: the first dimension is economic. Reducing the transit time of goods from the Persian Gulf to Europe from 14 days to 5 to 7 days could create a significant competitive advantage in the transport of industrial and agricultural goods.

The second dimension is geopolitical. By completing a network of corridors, from Iraq’s “Development Road” to the “Middle Corridor” and now the Hejaz Railway, Turkey is seeking to consolidate its position as the logistical hub connecting three continents.

The third dimension is the identity dimension of this initiative, the importance of which for Turkey should not be underestimated. Reviving the legacy of Sultan Abdul Hamid II represents a symbolic return to the prosperous era of the Ottoman Empire and an attempt to redefine Turkey’s role in the Islamic world. These three dimensions demonstrate that the project is not merely an economic initiative, but an instrument for recreating the regional order on the scales of emerging powers in West Asia.

Challenges ahead

Despite the optimism of some media and political circles in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the region, the realization of this project faces serious obstacles. The first challenge is the substantial costs of implementation. Initial estimates indicate a need for approximately $35 billion in investment, but it remains unclear which party will provide these resources. Although Qatar has been mentioned as a potential financial contributor, this has so far remained speculative, and no official financial commitment has been announced by Doha.

The second challenge is the route’s passage through Syria. The vital section of this project passes through a country that still faces challenges related to state stabilization, security provision, and infrastructure reconstruction. Restoring war-damaged railway lines, completing the remaining 30 kilometers of the route between Damascus and the Jordanian border, and ensuring the security of the route in unstable areas are challenges that go beyond the capacity of a private company or even a single state.

The third challenge pertains to corridor governance. It remains unclear which body will manage this system and what standards will be defined for customs, tariffs, insurance, and route security. Furthermore, what exists today is a collection of national railway networks with different standards across four countries, which must be harmonized in terms of track gauge, technical specifications, and infrastructure. As one Turkish analyst has noted, what exists now is not “a ready-made line from Istanbul to Mecca,” but rather a collection of national networks and differing political conditions that may, in the future, be connected into a single corridor.

Corridor competition and future outlook

The Hejaz Railway finds its meaning, above all, in competition with the India, West Asia, and Europe Corridor known as “IMEC”; a project unveiled in September 2023 with US support, which had designated the Israeli regime as the main transit hub. Now that IMEC has faced a deadlock following the Gaza war and the halt in the normalization process with the Israeli regime, the Hejaz Railway has been proposed as an option that entirely bypasses Tel Aviv.

However, emphasizing the “bypassing of the Israeli regime” requires analytical caution. Available documents and statements by Turkish officials typically focus on the project’s economic and strategic advantages, including support for Syria’s reconstruction, enhancement of Saudi Arabia’s food security, and Turkey’s access to the Red Sea.

Although this project could, in practice, lead to a reduction in the Israeli regime’s role in the region’s transit architecture and the formation of an independent route, the competition between the two corridors appears to be a natural one for attracting investment and regional transit. In this framework, the Hejaz Railway, by passing through Syria, offers a route independent of the Israeli regime and could contribute to a potential increase in Arab countries’ political independence from US and Israeli plans, but this can be seen not necessarily as its primary objective, but rather as a consequence of the project.

Concluding point

Among the issues raised regarding the revival of the Hejaz Railway is the possibility of bypassing the Strait of Hormuz via this route. However, the reality is that the Hejaz Railway can never replace the Strait of Hormuz; because the bulk of Persian Gulf oil and gas is exported to East Asian markets, and the aforementioned overland corridor has no connection to this route.

Furthermore, transporting natural gas via railway network is not economically justifiable. Nevertheless, the Hejaz Railway could serve as a complementary route, increasing the resilience of supply chains in times of crisis and creating a significant competitive advantage for non-oil, high-value-added goods, such as agricultural, pharmaceutical, and electronic products.

The completion of feasibility studies by the end of 2026 and the target of implementing the project over the next three to four years indicate the serious determination of the participating countries. Nevertheless, the realization of this plan will depend on sustained political will, extensive financial cooperation, and, most importantly, the establishment of security stability in Syria. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Hejaz Railway, relying on popular support, became one of the most important achievements of its time. Today as well, this project, despite all obstacles, could become a symbol of regional cooperation; but the achievement of this goal, more than ever, requires realism, coordination, and navigating the complexities of the region’s geopolitics.