A railway linking Anatolia to the holy cities of the Arabian Peninsula may soon move from historical memory back into geopolitical reality.
Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia are currently engaged in discussions aimed at reviving the historic Hejaz Railway project, more than a century after Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II described the railway as his “greatest dream”.
According to Turkish media reports, the long-abandoned project is now being reconsidered in a modern form through regional cooperation focused on transport integration, logistics, and economic connectivity across the Middle East.
A Modern Revival of the Hejaz Railway
The original Hejaz Railway, also known as the Hamidian Railway, was one of the Ottoman Empire’s most ambitious engineering projects.
Built over eight years, the railway connected Damascus to Madinah and played a major role in stimulating trade, urban growth, and economic development across the Hejaz region.
Now, more than 126 years after the idea first emerged, regional governments are exploring a modern version stretching from Istanbul to Riyadh through Syria and Jordan.
As part of the initiative, Turkey, Syria, and Jordan recently signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding focused on land transport cooperation.
This was followed by separate discussions between Damascus and both Ankara and Riyadh aimed at strengthening bilateral railway coordination.
According to reports, technical feasibility studies for the modern Hejaz Railway are expected to be completed by the end of the current year.
The proposed rail corridor would extend more than 3,000 kilometres and function as a transcontinental transport route linking Asia and Europe through the Middle East.
A Strategic Corridor for a Changing Middle East
Turkish researcher Salih Kaya described the revival effort as “building the future from the ruins of the past” in an article published by Kriter magazine.
He argued that the original Hejaz Railway once served as the strategic backbone connecting the geography of the Middle East and that its revival represents far more than a transport project.
According to Kaya, the railway would effectively rewrite the geo-economic future of the region through rail infrastructure.
Turkey, he explained, is attempting to merge its historical legacy with a modern logistical vision capable of linking the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, and the Arabian Peninsula into a unified transport network.
The project is also being framed as one of Turkey’s most important strategic moves within the growing competition over regional trade corridors.
Kaya argued that the railway could emerge as a serious alternative to the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which has accelerated geopolitical competition across the region in recent years.
From a geopolitical perspective, he said the project would strengthen Turkey’s regional influence while deepening ties with Arab states through what he described as a mutually beneficial model built around shared economic interests.
Beyond trade and transport, supporters of the initiative argue that the railway could also contribute to broader regional stability and development.
Economic Benefits and Infrastructure Challenges
Turkish transport expert Tarik Dundar argued in an article published by Anadolu Agency that the Hejaz Railway could deliver major economic gains for participating countries.
According to Dündar, rail transport is generally more efficient than maritime or road transport for cargo travelling distances of up to 2,000 kilometres.
Lower shipping costs between Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia could significantly increase trade demand while diversifying the range of goods transported through the corridor.
The project is also expected to support Hajj and Umrah travel, improve regional passenger mobility, and facilitate transportation during the 2034 FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Each participating country would reportedly be responsible for land acquisition procedures and infrastructure development within its own borders.
However, Dündar warned that differences in national priorities could delay implementation timelines and complicate investment coordination.
He also stressed that multinational infrastructure projects of this scale often require extended planning periods and institutional frameworks.
To address this, he proposed establishing a new railway holding company jointly backed by the relevant ministries and the Islamic Development Bank.
Following the completion of the initial feasibility phase, the next step would involve detailed financial and economic studies covering budgets, capital expenditure, and operational costs.
The Historical and Political Legacy of the Original Railway
Historically, the Hejaz Railway held unique significance within the Ottoman world.
It was one of the few major strategic Ottoman projects funded largely through Islamic and Ottoman donations rather than foreign financing.
Historian and political science professor Murat Oziuksul, author of a book on the Hejaz Railway, explained in comments to BBC Turkish that more than half of the project’s financing came through taxes and mandatory payments, while approximately one third was funded through donations and aid.
He added that foreign donations accounted for only around 10% of total contributions and less than 3% of the overall financing structure.
The railway was not merely a transportation initiative.
According to Özyüksel, it also represented a major geopolitical project for the Ottoman Empire itself.
He argued that the railway posed a serious threat to British influence in Egypt, particularly if the line had eventually been extended from the Jordanian city of Ma’an to the Gulf of Aqaba.
In that context, the Hejaz Railway was viewed not only as an infrastructure project, but also as part of a broader Ottoman-German strategic alignment challenging British dominance in the region.
