Arab Mashreq International Railway

The Arab Mashreq International Railway is a proposed railway network in the Middle East.[1] The planned network has north-south and east-west axes, and 16 different routes covering 19500 route-km. The plan is ambitious; 60% of the routes have not yet been built, and parts of existing railway infrastructure are weak or have gauge differences;[2][3] some states may be unable to make large investments in infrastructure. Like the European TEN-T network,[4] the Agreement specifies a family of high-priority international routes, rather than setting service details or awarding contracts to operators.

International agreement

The Agreement on International Railways in the Arab Mashreq was adopted on 17 April 2003.[5][6] It entered into force on 23 May 2005 after it had been ratified by Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. As of July 2016, it has been ratified by 12 states: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the State of Palestine, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Routes[5]

Map of Saudi Arabia, and neighbours

Jordan

Jordan joined OTIF in August 2010, and plans to become a hub for international rail transport.[7] In 2011-2014, Jordan's Ministry of Transport plans to invest €2·6bn in rail infrastructure connected to the Arab Mashreq International Railway Network.[8]

Technical standards

The railway network will be built to standard gauge, and UIC/B loading gauge.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "PLAN OF ACTION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL RAILWAYS IN THE ARAB MASHREQ" (PDF). 25 November 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  2. ↑ Annual Review of Developments in Globalization and Regional Integration in the Arab Countries. United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. 2006. p. 60. ISBN 978-92-1-128305-1.
  3. ↑ "68 مليار درهم استثمارات الإمارات في قطاع السكك الحديدية الرؤية الاقتصادية - أخبار اقتصادية مالية تجارية شاملة". 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "TEN-T Executive Agency - 30 Priority Projects". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 "UNCTAD Transport Newsletter, No. 26, Fourth Quarter 2004" (PDF). 2 February 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Agreement on International Railways in the Arab Mashreq - The Faculty of Law". 14 April 2003. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "From the Red Sea to the Black Sea" (PDF). OTIF. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "Jordan joins OTIF ahead of launching rail expansion plan". Railway Gazette. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "AGREEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL RAILWAYS IN THE ARAB MASHREQ*" (PDF). 25 June 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
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