Syria and Jordan eye resumption of historic railway line

Representatives of Syria and Jordan met for two days in Amman which was concluded on June 25th, in which a decision to explore the rebuilding of a key section of the historic Hejaz railroad was agreed, Asharq Al-Awsat via Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian-Jordanian technical committee of land transport decided to plan a technical meeting with the appropriate authorities to explore the viability of reopening the Hejaz railway line. For now, only freight transport is being considered, but the transport of people, particularly pilgrims, which is the principal historic purpose of the railroad, remains the ultimate goal.

This topic is one among many that were discussed at the meeting of land and transport officials. And the meeting itself is part of wider efforts of Syrian-Jordanian economic and political cooperation, since the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad late last year.

The two nations resumed operations at the Syria-Jordan joint free zone, as announced in February, and in May, the foreign ministers of the two nations  inaugurated the “Higher Coordination Council.”

The immediate result of these measures was reported by Amman’s chambers of commerce president Khalil al-Haj al-Tawfiq, who noted unprecedented trade figures following the efforts of economic integration.

This was confirmed by Abed Fadliya, an economics professor at Damascus University, who told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Syrian-Jordanian economic and trade ties have improved markedly over these last months due to joint government efforts.

The overall sentiment of the meeting this week in June, seems to have been efficiency, as both sides took further measures to remove economic restrictions at the border.

The two nations agreed to lower transit fees to 2% in both nations, a drop from Jordan’s former 5% transit cost. Jordan also waived the diesel tax on Syrian trucks.

During the twilight of Bashar Al-Assad’s tenure, borders were zones of tension and their use was largely for black market activity like drugs, weapons, and human smuggling. As his legacy fades, the walls are closing in on the exiled former leader of Syria. On June 24th, Maghrebi reported that his cousin, Wassim al-Assad, was arrested in Syria, as also reported by Radio France Internationale.

Zahi Khalil, Director-General of the Jordanian Hejaz Railway Foundation, in April, declared plans to introduce tourist train trips from Jordan to Syria.

The Hejaz railway, connects Syria’s Hauran region through Daraa into Jordan, and continues to Madinah. The railway, was built during the rule of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II between 1900 and 1908, connected the then central political and economic hub of the Levant, Damascus, to the heart of the Islamic faith in Medinah.

Asharq Al-Awsat, Maghrebi.org, SANA, Radio France Internationale