Turkey’s Minister of Trade, Ömer Bolat, announced that the historic Middle East route enabling Turkish trucks to reach Jordan and the Gulf states via Syrian territory will be fully operational next year, following road rehabilitation and the removal of administrative hurdles.
Bolat’s remarks came in an interview with Anadolu Agency on 29 October, after he took part in the first session of the Jordanian-Turkish Joint Economic Committee meetings held in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
The minister explained that the new corridor “will allow Turkish trucks to cross into Jordan and the Gulf after addressing shortcomings related to visas and rehabilitating overland roads inside Syria,” adding that the Turkish and Syrian transport ministers signed a road transport agreement in Istanbul on 28 June.
On 25 June, the “Jordanian-Syrian Joint Technical Committee for Land Transport” agreed to regulate the movement of passengers and goods, transit transport, and to ease procedures for the passage of trucks, buses, and private cars between the two countries. The agreement also unified procedures and applied the principle of reciprocity to ensure smooth transport flows serving both sides’ economic interests.
Bolat noted that Turkish trucks have already begun crossing into Jordan and the Gulf through Syria, despite remaining restrictions still being addressed, including Syrian customs regulations, road repairs, and visa procedures. He expects the corridor to be fully operational in 2026.
He said the agreement signed between Ankara and Damascus sparked enthusiasm on the Jordanian side, since the route “runs from Jordan and Syria to Turkey and from there to Europe,” making it a vital two-way corridor for transport and trade, whether toward Europe or the Middle East, via Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, and Egypt.
Bolat added that reactivating this corridor, as it was in 2010, would reinvigorate trade and bring new life to communities along its path, stressing that “the positive impact on the region’s peoples will be felt in a short time.”
Project to revive the Hejaz Railway
The Turkish trade minister revealed a shared desire by Ankara and Amman to repair and upgrade the historic Hejaz Railway, noting that work “is advancing at a rapid pace,” with coordination underway with the Jordanian side.
He said, “Such projects cannot be carried out unilaterally; all states concerned must be convinced and involved,” adding that reactivation would include passenger services as well as freight.
He also noted that Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan outlining joint projects in trade, industry, agriculture, services, tourism, and culture, confirming that the next stage will see detailed agreements, with a potential meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and King Abdullah II to follow up on cooperation.
The Hejaz Railway is a historic Ottoman project built in the early 20th century to link Damascus with Medina, passing through cities in Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to facilitate pilgrims’ travel to the Hijaz. Construction began in 1900 by order of Sultan Abdulhamid II, and it was officially inaugurated in 1908. The line still operates partially inside Jordan today, while services toward Syria have been suspended since the 2011 uprising and subsequent disruptions to infrastructure and transport networks.
Trilateral meeting to activate road and rail connectivity projects
A technical trilateral meeting was held in Amman on 11 September, bringing together representatives of the transport ministries of Syria, Jordan, and Turkey to explore ways to enhance regional cooperation in transport and to facilitate overland and rail movement among the three countries.
The meeting discussed easing truck entry at borders and unifying customs fees on transit operations, as well as agreeing to Turkish financing for maintenance of the Hejaz Railway from Damascus to the Jordanian border, while Jordan would handle maintenance of Hejaz locomotives.
The Syrian and Jordanian sides also agreed to conduct economic feasibility studies for new rail lines to strengthen rail connectivity among the three capitals.
According to participants, the meeting serves as a preparatory step for an upcoming ministerial meeting to follow up on implementation and develop overland connectivity projects, including upgrades at the Nasib–Jaber crossing (on the Syria–Jordan border near Daraa, southern Syria), the Bab al-Hawa crossing (Idlib, northwest Syria), and improvements to the Gaziantep–Aleppo line.
Mohammed Omar Rahal, Syria’s Deputy Minister of Transport for Road Transport, said road and rail connectivity among Syria, Jordan, and Turkey is a strategic investment in the region’s security and stability, contributing to reconstruction and revitalizing trade and investment flows. He considered these projects “a gateway to new opportunities for economic growth that reduce transport costs and shorten delivery times to markets.”
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