Story perspectives

Turkey, Saudi Ink MoUs for Hormuz-Bypass Rail Corridor

6/11/2026

Summary

Story summary

Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed memorandums of understanding in Riyadh, with Transport Ministers Abdulkadir Uraloglu and Saleh al-Jasser signing the agreements.
Joint studies due by year-end will upgrade the rail link into an overland corridor bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, with Turkey first restoring the Aleppo connection and test runs through Iraq prompting a trilateral agreement with Syria and Jordan to reconnect cross-border rail within four to five years.

History

Historical Context

Ordered by Sultan Abdul Hamid II in March 1900, the Ottoman Hejaz Railway reached Medina on 1 September 1908 at a cost of about 4 million Turkish lira, linking Damascus with the holy city and cutting pilgrim travel time. After war-damage, Turkey’s transport minister Binali Yildirim urged a rebuild in 2009, and on 9 June 2026 Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed agreements to revive the corridor, boosting Gulf-Europe freight.

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Story summary

Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed memorandums of understanding in Riyadh, with Transport Ministers Abdulkadir Uraloglu and Saleh al-Jasser signing the agreements.
Joint studies due by year-end will upgrade the rail link into an overland corridor bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, with Turkey first restoring the Aleppo connection and test runs through Iraq prompting a trilateral agreement with Syria and Jordan to reconnect cross-border rail within four to five years.

1 / 2