UAE, Jordan sign MoU to build $2.3bn freight railway from Dead Sea to Red Sea

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan to build a multi-billion dollar freight railway stretching from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, in an apparent effort to boost the production and trade of minerals.

According to media reports, Etihad Rail – the UAE’s national rail operator – signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Jordanian authorities and companies to connect the country’s phosphate and potash mines in Al-Shidiya and Ghor Al-Safi near the Dead Sea to the port at Aqaba by the Red Sea.

The 360 kilometre freight railway, reportedly worth $2.3 billion, will see the construction of terminals to load and unload freight in Aqaba, Ghor Al Safi and Shidiya, with the construction set to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2030.

As part of the multi-billion dollar project, Etihad Rail 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.

“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,” Emirati Minister of Investment, Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, was quoted as saying.

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