Saudi Arabian Railways offers alternative to the Strait of Hormuz
Written by Kevin Smith, International Railway Journal
Photo Credit: X/SAR
SAUDI ARABIA –– Trains will transport up to 400 containers on the new 1700km route connecting Arabian Gulf Ports with Jordan.
SAUDI Arabian Railways (SAR) has announced the launch of a new rail freight route connecting ports on the Arabian Gulf with the border crossing with Jordan, a service the railway says will enhance the movement of goods, support exports, and improve the efficiency of supply chains.
SAR confirmed that trains carrying more than 400 containers will travel the approximately 1700km from the Port of King Abdulaziz in Dammam, Jubail Commercial Port and King Fahd Industrial Port via the North-South Railway to Al Zabirah Junction and continuing north to Al-Haditha and Jordan.
The announcement comes during the continuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz which is preventing safe transport of various goods by sea from the Persian Gulf via narrow waterway between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi transport minister, Saleh Al-Jasser, wrote in a post on X that the launch of the new logistics corridor via freight trains represents a “practical model for integrating modes of transportation.”
In a post on its X account, SAR says that the route has the potential to connect domestic markets with neighbouring countries to the east and north. “It reinforces connectivity between Saudi Arabia’s seaports and northern and eastern land crossings,” SAR says.
SAR added that the service also reduces shipping times by half compared with other land transport methods.
