Railways
(2000)
total:
677 km
narrow gauge of :
677 km
Plans
A National Rail System was approved by the Jordanian Government which will connect all major cities and towns by passenger and cargo rail. There are two lines to be constructed. The North-South Line passing through Mafraq, Zarqa, Amman, Maan, and Aqaba with international connections to Syria and Saudi Arabia. The East-West Line will run from Mafraq, Irbid, and Azraq with international connections to Iraq and possibly Israel. The national rail system will be completed by 2013. These routes are planned to be electrified. There are also plans for a
light rail systemThe Amman-Zarqa Light Rail System is a proposed project to address the transportation issues within and between two of the biggest Jordanian cities, the capital Amman and the nearby industrial city of Zarqa...
operating between Amman and Zarqa and a funicular and metro line in Amman.
Two connected but non-contiguously operated sections of the Hedjaz Railway exist:
- from Amman
Amman , sometimes spelled Ammann , is the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a city of 2,525,000 inhabitants , and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan. It is also the largest city in Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world...
in JordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in Western Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, the Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest,...
to SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
, as the "Hedjaz Jordan Railway."
- from phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
mines near Ma'anMa'an is a town in southern Jordan 218 km away from the capital Amman. It is the capital of Ma'an Governorate. Ma'an has a population of around 50,000. The city had a population of 22,989 in the 1992 census and is calculated as being 27,573 in 2007...
to the Gulf of AqabaThe Gulf of Aqaba , in Israel known as the Gulf of Eilat is a large gulf of the Red Sea. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all have coastlines on the Gulf of Aqaba...
as the "Aqaba Railway."
See
Hejaz railway|}The Hejaz Railway was a narrow gauge railway that ran from Damascus to Medina, through the Hejaz region of Arabia, with a branch line to Haifa, on the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Railway links with adjacent countries
Since all of Jordan's neighbours use primarily
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, any linkup would most likely see the conversion of Jordan's remaining narrow gauge lines.
- Syria
- Railways :
total:2,750 km
standard gauge:2,423 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:327 km 1.050-m gauge See also Hejaz railway.- Railway links with adjacent countries :* Lebanon - defunct* Israel - defunct...
- yes (albeit only to Damascus, as the rest of Syria's railway network utilzes the standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
which is not compatible with Jordan's narrow gauge system).
- Saudi Arabia
- Railways :Saudi Arabia has several hundred route kilometres of standard gauge railways linking the capital Riyadh with the Persian Gulf. In October 2006, tenders were called by the Saudi Railways Organization to build the new 440 km Makkah-Madinah Rail Link .In 2008, a Maglev Monorail was...
- Plans are advanced for a North South railway from the Jordainian border to Riyadh and Ras Az Zawr
- Saudi Arabia
Rail transport in Saudi Arabia is managed by Saudi Railway Organization, which provides freight services on three main lines totalling 1018 km. These connect Riyadh with the Persian Gulf port of Dammam...
- Israel - no. (Plans have been discussed to construct a standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
line from IrbidIrbid , known in ancient times as Arabella, is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate.It is also a part of the second largest metropolitan area in Jordan with a population of around 660,000, and is located about 70 km north of Amman on the northern ridge of the Gilead,...
, JordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in Western Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, the Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest,...
to Bet Shean.)
- Egypt
Transportation in Egypt TodayTransport in Egypt are centered in Cairo and largely follow the pattern of settlement along the Nile. The main line of the nation's 4,800 kilometer railway network runs from Alexandria to Aswan and is operated by Egyptian National Railways...
- no - requires bridge over Gulf of AqabaThe Gulf of Aqaba , in Israel known as the Gulf of Eilat is a large gulf of the Red Sea. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all have coastlines on the Gulf of Aqaba...
or a train ferryA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are referred to as "car ferries"...
- Transport in Palestinian Authority
This article describes transport within the region under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, which consists of two non-contiguous territories, Gaza and the West Bank...
- no
- Iraq
- Railways :total:2,032 km
standard gauge:2,032 km For more than two decades there have been plans for building a metro system in Baghdad. It is possible that part of the tunnels have been built, but that they are now used militarily for sheltering, hiding and escaping purposes. U.N. inspectors...
- no
2007
2006
- Various rail proposals.
- The Israeli business newspaper Globes
Globes is a Hebrew language daily evening financial newspaper, published in Israel. According to TGI 2008 media survey Globes has a market share of 3.1%. Its main competitors in printed media are TheMarker of Haaretz group and Calcalist published by Yedioth Ahronoth Group...
reported that in a meeting between the Israeli minister of transport, Shaul Mofaz' is an Israeli politician and former soldier who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Kadima. He formerly served as former Minister of Defense, Minister of Transportation and as the 16th Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.-Biography:Born in Tehran , Mofaz...
and the Jordanian ambassador in Tel AvivTel Aviv-Yafo , usually called Tel Aviv, is the second largest city in Israel, with an estimated population of 391,300. The city is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, with a land area of...
in November, the transport minister announced that European nations are interested in financing the construction of a HaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 264,900. Haifa has a mixed population of Jews and Arabs giving an example for peaceful co-existence. The Arab population used to be predominantly Christian, while some of the Jewish...
-IrbidIrbid , known in ancient times as Arabella, is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate.It is also a part of the second largest metropolitan area in Jordan with a population of around 660,000, and is located about 70 km north of Amman on the northern ridge of the Gilead,...
-Amman railway.
2005
- 2005 in rail transport
- January events : January 6 - A Norfolk Southern train carrying a few carloads of hazardous materials collides with a parked train in Graniteville, South Carolina, causing the Graniteville train disaster. January 12 - General Motors announces that it has agreed to sell its Electro-Motive Division...
- Jordan - Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in Western Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, the Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest,...
ian Transport Minister Saoud Nseirat responds to comments made on Monday, December 12, by IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
i Transport Minister Meir Shitrit. Shitrit had announced his intentions to propose a new standard gauge railway to connect HaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 264,900. Haifa has a mixed population of Jews and Arabs giving an example for peaceful co-existence. The Arab population used to be predominantly Christian, while some of the Jewish...
, Israel, to IrbidIrbid , known in ancient times as Arabella, is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate.It is also a part of the second largest metropolitan area in Jordan with a population of around 660,000, and is located about 70 km north of Amman on the northern ridge of the Gilead,...
, Jordan, passing through King Hussein Bridge and JeninJenin , is a Palestinian city located in the northern West Bank. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,000 while the adjacent refugee camp had a population of over 20,300...
, a project that could cost as much as $300 million (for the Jordanian portion of the line). Nseirat responded to Shitrit's comments with a denial, stating that there have not been any discussions between the two nations on such a project and no plans for such a connection have been proposed by anyone in the Jordanian government. Shitrit plans to make his formal proposal at a conference for Mediterranean transport ministers in Marrakesh on December 20.
-
- Jordan - The Public Transport Regulatory Commission has entered into an agreement with a private sector consortium, following a competitive bidding process, to develop a light rail system between the Jordanian capital Amman
Amman , sometimes spelled Ammann , is the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a city of 2,525,000 inhabitants , and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan. It is also the largest city in Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world...
and nearby industrial city of ZarqaZarqa is a city in Jordan located to the northeast of Amman. With a population of 440,227, it is the country's third largest city after Amman and Irbid. Zarqa is the capital of Zarqa Governorate...
. This light rail project, to be operational by 2011, will be the first urban rail public-private partnershipPublic-private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
(PPP) in the Middle East. The system will be operated using (standard gauge) electrically propelled light rail vehicles on a double track. The total length of the LRS system will be approximately 25 kilometres. The majority of the LRS route, between Al-Mahatta (in AmmanAmman , sometimes spelled Ammann , is the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a city of 2,525,000 inhabitants , and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan. It is also the largest city in Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world...
) and New Zarqa will be constructed within the existing Hedjaz Railway right-of-way (22.2 kilometres). The Public Transport Regulatory Commission estimates that the new system will carry about 45,000 passengers a day in its first year. Canada's CPCS was the lead advisor to the PTRC in this PPP transaction.
-
- CPCS is also advising the Government of Jordan in the privatization of the Aqaba Railroad Corporation, running from Ma'an
Ma'an is a town in southern Jordan 218 km away from the capital Amman. It is the capital of Ma'an Governorate. Ma'an has a population of around 50,000. The city had a population of 22,989 in the 1992 census and is calculated as being 27,573 in 2007...
to AqabaAqaba is a coastal town in the far south of Jordan. It is the capital of Aqaba Governorate. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. The town borders Eilat, Israel, and there is a border post where it is possible to cross between the two countries...
. This railway is used to transport phosphate from mines located in Ma'an. The commission plans to modernize the old narrow gauge railway and replace it with new track.
Highways
(2000 est.)
total:
8,000 km
paved:
8,000 km
unpaved:
0 km
Merchant marine
total:
7 ships (with a volume of or over) totaling /
ships by type (1999):
bulk carrierA bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
2,
cargo shipA cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
2,
container shipContainer ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.- History :...
1,
livestock carrierA livestock carrier, as the name suggests, is a large ship used in the live export of sheep, cattle and goats. They are specially built new or converted from container ships.-Livestock carriers:...
1, roll-on/roll-off ship 1
Airports - with paved runways
total (1999):
16
over 10,000 ft (3,048 m):
9
8000 ft to 9,999 ft (2,438 to 3,047 m):
4
under 3,000 ft (914 m):
3
Airports - with unpaved runways
total (1999):
4
5,000 to 7,999 ft (1,524 to 2,438 m):
1
3,000 to 4,999 ft (914 to 1,523 m):
1
under 3000 ft (914 m):
2