Peloni: Is Saudi Arabia earnestly allying itself with Turkey against Israel? Recall that Turkey and SA are nations with diametrically opposed ideologies and are in fact regional rivals of one another. While Turkey seeks to recreate the Ottoman Empire, which would include the conquest of Saudi Arabi, Saudi Arabia seeks to maintain its own national order. This raises the question as to why MBS would support such a project as the revival of the Hejaz Railway, which would not only undermine Israel’s role in the region, but the independence of Saudi Arabia as well. Is MBS so motivated to sideline Israeli regional prominence to bolster the threat against his own regime? I don’t think so.
Ahmad Sharawi & Sinan Ciddi
A railway originally built by the Ottoman Empire to project power across the Arab world is receiving a second lease on life as Turkey launches its latest bid to become the Middle East’s logistics hub.
An agreement signed on June 10 by Turkey and Saudi Arabia aims at reviving the historic Hejaz Railway, establishing a new trade corridor linking the Gulf to Europe through Turkey, Syria, and Jordan. Yet the project’s realization is hardly imminent. Financial and security obstacles could still prevent the railway from ever materializing.
A Network Spanning Continents
The Saudi starting point of the proposed route has not yet been determined. Historically, the Hejaz Railway began in Mecca and ran north to Medina. The revived route, however, would run from Saudi Arabia to Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba, then continue north through Amman, Damascus, and Aleppo before entering Turkey and connecting to Europe.
With Turkey already promoting itself as a major transit country, touting projects including the Middle Corridor and Iraq Development Road, the revival of the railway serves two main objectives.
First, it would deepen Turkey’s influence across the Levant. Second, the Hejaz railroad is a potential competitor to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project, which envisions Israel as a central transit hub connecting the Gulf to Europe.
Turkish officials have openly framed the project as a challenge to Israel. During a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat argued that, “The reduction of Israel’s influence in the region, together with increased political and economic solidarity among us, will bring economic prosperity.”
Financial and Logistical Challenges Facing a Revived Hejaz Railway
This is not the first Turkish attempt to revive the railway. In 2009, Ankara called on regional states to restore the line and announced plans to rebuild the Turkish section.
Saudi Arabia also began investing in domestic rail infrastructure that could benefit the broader railroad network. For example, Riyadh completed the Haramain High-Speed Railway linking Mecca and Medina, two cities that sat on the historic Hejaz Railway’s original route.
At present, the agreement signed by Ankara and Riyadh is limited to a series of memoranda of understanding, not a green light to begin construction. Whether this project comes to fruition will depend largely on financing and security. Critically, the network has no clear funding mechanism or agreed governance framework among the states it would cross.
Constructing and operating the railroad will require harmonization of regulations across multiple states, as well as the establishment of security protocols. Syria, through which most of the railway would pass, still faces enormous challenges in reconstruction and stability, with rebuilding costs estimated at more than $200 billion.
Damascus is likely to prioritize basic infrastructure, housing, and public services before committing to a major cross-border railway project.
Security is also a major obstacle. The Syrian government has yet to fully consolidate control over the country, while instability persists in the south. Israeli forces continue to maintain a presence in parts of Quneitra Province, and tensions remain high in the Druze-majority Suwayda province, where Damascus’s authority is limited.
Another issue is financing. Who will pay for the railway? Neither Turkey nor Saudi Arabia have announced financing commitments for the cross-border corridor, and private investors are unlikely to bankroll a multibillion-dollar railway through Syria without firm guarantees of stability.
Washington Should Double Down on IMEC
The United States should support commercially viable trade routes that enhance regional connectivity. However, Washington should be wary of infrastructure projects that are primarily driven by geopolitical competition.
Turkey’s advocacy is motivated by a desire to diminish Israel’s role in regional trade. To that end, the United States should push IMEC partners to harmonize customs procedures as well as rail and port standards so the corridor can move from the conceptual phase to implementation.
Demonstrating progress on IMEC would signal to Turkey that Washington remains committed to a connectivity framework that supports viability, rather than geopolitical rivalry.
Ahmad Sharawi is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward the region. Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at FDD. For more analysis from Ahmad, Sinan, and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. Follow Ahmad and Sinan on X @AhmadA_Sharawi and @SinanCiddi. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
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