Rail transport in Jordan
Rail transport in Jordan is coordinated by the Hedjaz Jordan Railway, a direct descendant of the Ottoman Hejaz railway. The Aqaba Railway Corporation transported phosphates to the port of Aqaba until its closure in 2018. Jordan has a total of 507 km of narrow gauge railways (1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in)) as of 2008.
The Hedjaz Jordan Railway is the only passenger railway currently operating in Jordan, connecting Amman to Damascus in Syria, and passing through Zarqa and Mafraq. It is narrow gauge; the rest of the Syrian network uses 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge.
Hedjaz Jordan Railway
[edit] Label on locomotive 52 of Hedjaz Jordan Railway, now out of service. Note "The Jordan". | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Amman |
| Reporting mark | HJR |
| Locale | western Jordan |
| Dates of operation | 1920–present |
| Predecessor | Hedjaz Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in) |
| Length | 1,320 km (820 mi) |
| Other | |
| Website | http://www.jhr.gov.jo/ |
The Hedjaz Jordan Railway is one of the two successor railways to the famous Hedjaz Railway. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1920, the Hedjaz Railway, formerly under Ottoman control, was divided into 2 railways: the Chemin de Fer de Hedjaz Syrie (CFH) and the Hedjaz Jordan Railway (HJR). The HJR operated the line of the Hedjaz railway in the Emirate of Transjordan. When Jordan became independent in 1946, the railway served as the state railway of Jordan, though it was not owned by the state. In 1975 the HJR built a line branch line from Ma'an to Aqaba, a port city. The line was later sold to the Aqaba Railway Corporation in 1979.
Since the recent conflict in Syria all railway operations between Jordan and Syria have been suspended. There is damage to the rail infrastructure between Jordan and Damascus.
Stations
[edit]List of stations.[1]
- Jabir as-Sirhan
- Mafraq
- Khirbet us-Samra
- Zarqa
- Russeifa
- Amman
- Qasr
- Lubin
- Al-Jizah
- Daba'a
- Khan az-Zibib
- Suaq
- Qatrana
- Menzil
- Faraifra
- Al-Hassa
- Jurf ed-Darawish
- Uneiza
- Wadi al-Hardon
- Maʿan
- Gadir al-Hajj
- Al-Shediya
- Abu Tarafa
- Al-Shifia
- Fassu'a
- Aqaba al-Hejaz
- Batn al-Ghul
- Wadi Rasem
- Tel esh-Sham
- Mudawwara
Locomotives
[edit]The following may not be a complete list.
Steam
[edit]Steam locomotives include:[2][3]
| Running number | Wheel arrangement | Builder and works number | Date built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 2-8-2 | Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, 7433 | 1951 |
| 51 | 2-8-2 | Arnold Jung, 12081 | 1955 |
| 61 (63) | 2-6-2T | Haine St Pierre, Belgium, 2147 | 1955 |
| 71 | 2-8-2 | Haine St Pierre, Belgium, 2144 | 1955 |
| 82 | 4-6-2 | Nippon Sharyo, 1610 | 1953/1959 (sources differ) |
Diesel
[edit]Diesel locomotives include:[4]
| Quantity | Wheel arrangement | Builder and type | Date built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | A1A-A1A | GE U10B | 1976 |
Museum
[edit]There is a museum at Amman station. In 2003, it contained more than 250 exhibits, including murals depicting the development of the railway.[5]
Aqaba Railway Corporation
[edit] | |
 A phosphate train near Ma'an | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Aqaba |
| Reporting mark | ARC |
| Locale | Jordan |
| Dates of operation | 1979–2018 |
| Predecessor | Hedjaz Jordan Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in) |
| Other | |
| Website | https://www.arcjo.com/ |
The Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC) was a railway company operating in southern Jordan. The railway was formed in 1979 to transport phosphate[6] to the port in Aqaba. It used the tracks of the Hejaz Railway partly.[7] It was closed in 2018[7]
In 1908 the Ottoman Empire built the Hejaz Railway, that ran from Damascus to Medina. After World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the railway never operated south of Ma'an. The Hedjaz Jordan Railway operated the tracks of the Hejaz railway in Jordan. In 1975 the railway built a branch from Ma'an to Aqaba, a port city on the Gulf of Aqaba. In 1979 the Aqaba Railway Corporation (ARC) was incorporated and took over the route from Abiad to Aqaba. The purpose of the ARC was to transport phosphates from mines near Abiad and Ma'an to the port in Aqaba. The ARC operated only freight trains powered by GE U17C diesel locomotives. It was closed down in 2018.
History
[edit]In the 2000s, Jordanian government began acquiring land for new rail routes. Following a study by BNP Paribas, three routes were planned, which were expected to be tendered later in 2010. The three routes were:[8]
- From the Syrian border, via Zarqa, to the Saudi border; replacing part of the Hejaz Railway;
- Connecting the first line to Aqaba, and from Mafraq to Irbid, replacing another part of the Hedjaz railway;
- A link to the Iraqi border.
However, in late 2010, the government announced an economic relief package and following the 2011 Jordanian protests it was decided to reduce the expected three-year capital investment plan in the national railway network by 72 percent, partly to fund the relief package.[9] Therefore, it is unclear when the railways expansion plan will be carried out.[needs update]
There are also plans for a light rail system operating between Amman and Zarqa, and a metro line in Amman.
Currently, two connected but non-contiguously operated sections of the Hedjaz Railway exist:
- from Amman in Jordan to Syria, as the "Hedjaz Jordan Railway".
- from phosphate mines near Ma'an to the Gulf of Aqaba as the "Aqaba Railway".
In August 2011, the Jordanian government approved the construction of the railway from Aqaba to the Iraqi border (near Trebil). The Iraqis in the meantime started the construction of the line from the border to their current railhead at Ramadi.[10]
There are plans for a Aqaba-Ma'an railway modernization with the Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund.
In 2019 they signed a memorandum of understanding with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority to invest 500 million JD (around $700 million) to redevelop the Aqaba-Ma'an railway alongside building a dry port in Ma'an.[11][12] It plans to upgrade the trains 1050mm built in 1975 to 1435mm.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Stations | Jordan Hejaz Railway". Jhr.gov.jo. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ^ "Jordan Hejaz Railway مؤسسة الخط الحجازي الأردني.:.The Stations". English.jh-railway.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-10. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ^ "Steam Locomotive Information". Steamlocomotive.info. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ^ Marco van Uden (2008-10-24). "Railfaneurope.net". Railfaneurope.net. Archived from the original on 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ^ "Brief about the Museum | Jordan Hejaz Railway". Jhr.gov.jo. Archived from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ^ "The Aqaba Railway Corporation 🇯🇴 - nick86235". nick86235.smugmug.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ a b "2.4 Jordan Railway Assessment | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments". dlca.logcluster.org. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ "Railway Gazette: Ambitious strategy ready to start". Retrieved 2010-09-10.
- ^ Obeidat, Omar (14 March 2011). "Budget deficit prompts cuts in three-year development plan". The Jordan Times. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Construction begins on 500km Jordan-Iraq railway, Construction Week, August 24, 2011
- ^ Release, Press. "Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund showcases achievements and future plans". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ a b "Jordanian ambitions, Saudi funds: A look at Saudi investments in Jordan". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Aqaba Railway Corporation at Wikimedia Commons- The Hedjaz Railway: Damascus to Amman, 1981
- A piece of railway history, 2006
