Jordan’s Transport Ministry expects to receive by August a grant from a Turkey-based company for a feasibility study on the reconstruction of the Jordanian section of the Hejaz Railway.

The study is expected to take seven months and will be conducted by Ankara-based G&G Consulting.

The study will look into reconstructing the operating segments of the old railway, which extends approximately 450 kilometres, according to a source familiar with the project.

The northern section of the railway to be reconstructed links Jordan with Iraq and Syria. It is currently used to transport passengers as well as freight.

Future plans include completing a dry port in Maan close to the Gulf of Aqaba, where a feasibility study is expected to be conducted in the future.

In 2015, Jordan announced it was seeking investors to support a $300m railway line between Amman and Queen Alia International airport, which will follow the alignment of the Hejaz Railway. The line will be 32 kilometres long and have 12 stations and will be extended to Zarqa, Jordan’s second city.

MEED understands the project is still in the planning stage.