Aqaba: The Chairman of Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC), Mohammad Thneibat, has announced that the Aqaba port railway project is one of the largest infrastructure developments undertaken in Jordan in recent years. It is anticipated to significantly reduce annual transport costs for potash and phosphate by around $40 million.
According to Jordan News Agency, the project is expected to enhance the global competitiveness of the companies involved and create approximately 5,000 jobs in the southern region of the kingdom. The railway project is designed to integrate with the Ma'an dry port, further boosting regional economic activity.
Thneibat highlighted a Jordanian-Emirati partnership agreement aimed at establishing a railway company to operate between the Hasa mines, Aqaba, and the Arab Potash Company. The capital for the company will amount to $2.3 billion and will be registered with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The railway is anticipated to transport 16 million tonnes of phosphate from Shidiya to Aqaba, in addition to raw materials from Aqaba to Shidiya, and 3 million tonnes from the Arab Potash Company to Aqaba port.
He assured that the project would not adversely impact trucking operations in southern Jordan. Existing transport activities, including routes between Aqaba and Amman, will remain operational, and trucking from Shidiya and Ghor Al-Safi to Aqaba will continue to have viable opportunities.
The agreements between Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to commence the Aqaba port railway project were signed on Wednesday. This project is considered one of the largest transport initiatives in the kingdom in the past 25 years. It reflects the robust economic ties between the two nations and aims to reinforce Jordan's status as a regional transport and logistics hub by connecting phosphate and potash production sites with the industrial port in Aqaba. The initiative is expected to facilitate cargo movement, reduce transport costs, and improve supply chain efficiency.