Jordan is likely to finalise agreements for a railway project linking Aqaba to the mining areas in southern Jordan in the third quarter, local Jordan Times newspaper said on Tuesday, quoting Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh.

The report, citing state-owned Jordan News Agency Petra, said the prime minister announced the government’s intention to finalise agreements by early September with an investment fund from an Arab country for a railway project linking Aqaba to the mining areas in southern Jordan.

This was part of the announcement on appointing the preferred bidder for the National Water Carrier mega project.

While the names of the project and the Arab fund wasn’t disclosed, a September 2023 Zawya Projects report said the Jordanian government had signed an agreement with the Saudi-Jordanian Investment Fund (SJIF) for potentially financing a 418-km freight railway project connecting the Aqaba Container Terminal with the Madouna dry port for transporting phosphates, grain and other goods.

(Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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