Turkey plans to modernize the historic Hijaz Railway and extend it to Oman to create an alternative global trade route in the Strait of Hormuz, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said today.

Speaking to Anadolu, Uraloglu said the country intends to revive the historic line for both tourism and modern transit. He explained that the initial phase involves connecting Turkey to Aleppo, using the existing Aleppo-Damascus-Jordan network while continuing negotiations with the Saudi authorities.

The ultimate goal remains to extend the line to Oman to reach the ocean, creating a strategic alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

Regarding the 1,200-kilometer Development Road Project that stretches from Iraq’s Basra Bay to the Turkish border, Uraloglu confirmed that the design phase has been completed.

This massive corridor, which includes highways, railways, energy and communication lines, will be realized through international financing in partnership with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq and Turkey.

The minister stressed that the project awaits a calmer regional environment before proceeding with construction.

Pausing on Zangezur Corridor, a strategic segment of the Middle Corridor, Uraloglu emphasized that the tender for the 224-kilometer Kars-Igdir-Aralik-Dilucu line from the Turkish side has been finalized and work has started.

While the works from the Azerbaijani side have reached the completion stage, the ministry continues to monitor the process for the passage of Zangezur through Armenian territory to ensure a shorter connection with the Turkish world and Asia Addressing the railway transit in Istanbul, Uraloglu said that the project to include a railway in the “Yavuz Sultan Selim” bridge marks an important step in increasing the freight capacity.

The minister announced that the financing of the railway project has been secured by six international institutions led by the World Bank, with initial agreements signed.

Uraloglu expects to launch the tender in the coming days and start the construction of the Central before the end of the year, using a $6.75 billion loan to resolve capacity issues for freight and passenger trains between Europe and Asia.

Source: prizrenpost