jordan pulse -
Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh Al-Jasser, expects the completion of a study for a railway link with Turkey, passing through Jordan and Syria, before the end of the current year.
Al-Jasser stated that this project would enhance regional integration, support trade movement, and develop a sustainable land transport system among the countries in the region.
The Saudi Minister added that the Kingdom's national railway network currently extends to the Jordanian border through the Al-Haditha crossing, making it a strategic anchor point for future expansion toward regional and international connectivity.
Last March, Al-Jasser announced the launch of the "Logistics Routes Initiative" at the Jeddah Islamic Port, a step aimed at enhancing the resilience of supply chains and ensuring the continued flow of trade in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf amid shifts in the region’s maritime transport sector.
In an interview with Al Arabiya Business, the minister emphasized that Saudi ports and corridors are operating integrally to ensure the continuity of regional trade and facilitate the movement of goods. He explained that Saudi Arabia has activated alternative logistics corridors and responded swiftly to current shifts, noting operational flexibility in moving between ports on the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea.
He further highlighted that Saudi Arabia possesses significant capacity in its Red Sea ports—capable of handling over 17 million containers annually—and that these ports play a pivotal role in receiving containers diverted from Gulf countries.
Al-Jasser noted that the government has worked to link Red Sea ports with logistics routes extending to the Gulf states, strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional hub for transshipment and trade facilitation. He also confirmed intensified efforts to raise the readiness of West Coast ports, adding that Saudi airports remain open to aircraft from brotherly nations to support transport and trade.
The minister concluded by stressing that Saudi Arabia’s extensive experience in crisis management and handling geopolitical developments enables it to maintain the stability of trade movement and regional supply chains.