Arab Mashreq International Railway

The Arab Mashreq International Railway is a proposed railway network in the Mashriq, which is located in Western Asia and eastern North Africa in the eastern part of the Arab world.^[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 Trans-European Transport 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

• R05: Iraq - Kuwait - Saudi Arabia
• R15: Jordan - Saudi Arabia
• R25: Syria - Jordan - Saudi Arabia - Yemen
• R27: Syria
• R35: Syria - Lebanon
• R45: Egypt
• R10: Iraq - Syria
• R20: Syria
• R30: Syria - Lebanon
• R40: Iraq - Jordan
• R50: Gaza - Egypt
• R60: Egypt
• R70: Egypt
• R80: Saudi Arabia
• R82: Qatar
• R90: Oman - Yemen

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 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge, and UIC/B loading gauge.^[9]

See also

• Gulf Railway

References

1. "PLAN OF ACTION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL RAILWAYS IN THE ARAB MASHREQ" (PDF). 25 November 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. 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. "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 International. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
9. "AGREEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL RAILWAYS IN THE ARAB MASHREQ*" (PDF). 25 June 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2010.^{[permanent dead link‍]}