Turkey Eyes Hejaz Railway Revival as Alternative Trade Route to Strait of Hormuz

ANKARA, Jun 9: Turkey and Saudi Arabia have signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) aimed at strengthening cooperation in transportation, logistics and railway infrastructure, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced on Tuesday.

The agreements were signed in Riyadh and include a railway cooperation framework that advances plans to revive the historic Hejaz Railway, a proposed rail corridor linking Saudi Arabia through Jordan and Syria to Turkey.

The move comes as Ankara seeks to expand regional connectivity and develop alternative trade routes. Last week, Uraloglu said Turkey intends to modernize the Hejaz Railway and eventually extend the network toward Oman and the Indian Ocean.

The long-term vision is to establish a major transportation corridor connecting the Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean while providing an alternative route for trade that could reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints.

Officials say the agreements mark a new step in deepening economic and infrastructure cooperation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia as both countries pursue ambitious regional connectivity projects.