Imagine a super-long train track stretching 400 kilometres across the desert — that's longer than driving from London to Edinburgh! Well, that's exactly what Jordan and the UAE are building together, and it's going to change how an entire country moves its most valuable resources.
What's being built?
Leaders from the UAE and Jordan recently broke ground on a massive new railway called the Aqaba-Al-Shidiya-Maan Railway Project.
The railway will cost $2.3 billion — that's $2,300,000,000 — and will connect the Port of Aqaba, where big ships come and go, to important mining areas deep inside Jordan.
Who was there?
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and King Abdullah II of Jordan attended the ceremony.
What was said?
“The significance of this project lies in its ability to connect production centres with the ports of Aqaba and regional and global markets, enhance the efficiency of the transport and logistics ecosystem," says Dr Mohammad Thneibat, chairman of the Jordan-UAE Railway Company.
What are in Jordan's mines and why does it matter?
Jordan has huge underground mines full of phosphate and potash. These aren't precious gems, but they're just as valuable and farmers all over the world use them to make fertiliser, which helps crops grow. Without fertiliser, we'd have a lot less food on our plates!
Right now, lorries carry all of this material along busy, congested roads. It's slow, expensive and not great for the environment. The new railway will carry around 16 million tonnes of these minerals every year and far more efficiently than any lorry could.
How big is this project?
The numbers are seriously impressive:
- 403 kilometres of railway track
- 55 bridges to cross valleys and rivers
- 6 tunnels bored through mountains
- 5,000 new jobs created for people in southern Jordan
- $40 million saved every year in transport costs
Who is building it?
The UAE and Jordan are building it together as a team, a 50/50 partnership. Construction is expected to take five years, so the first trains could be rolling by around 2031.
The bigger picture
The UAE loves building railways. It already has the Etihad Rail network, a 1,200-kilometre railway connecting all seven emirates. It is also building another rail link connecting Abu Dhabi to Oman.
One day, there are even plans for a massive railway and shipping corridor connecting India all the way to Europe, passing through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and beyond. Think of it like a real-life version of a geography board game — connecting continents one track at a time!
