Etihad Rail has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan to build a 360km freight railway worth $2.3bn.
The line will connect Jordan’s phosphate and potash mines in Al-Shidiya and Ghor Al-Safi near the Dead Sea to its port at Aqaba, on the Red Sea.
Etihad, which is the national rail operator of the UAE, has also signed provisional agreements with Jordan’s Phosphate Mines Company and the Arab Potash Company to transport 16 million tonnes of both materials a year.
Terminals for loading and unloading freight will be built in Aqaba, Ghor Al Safi and Shidiya.
Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, the UAE’s minister of investment, said: “Through enhancing capabilities and sharing technical expertise, we aim to establish new economic and investment connections that support infrastructure development and foster promising opportunities, all within the framework of our vision to achieve comprehensive and sustainable economic growth.”
If the deal goes ahead, construction is likely to begin in 2026 and complete in 2030.
