Maritime Authority: Aqaba, Al-Shidiya and Ma’an Railway Enhances Jordan’s Position as a Regional Logistics Hub

Al-Taj News – The Jordan Maritime Authority confirmed that laying the foundation stone for the railway project between Aqaba, Al-Shidiya and Ma’an represents a strategic milestone in the course of the Jordanian-Emirati partnership, and an important step toward building an integrated and flexible transportation system that enhances Jordan’s position as a regional logistics hub.

The Director General of the Authority, Ahmad Al-Assasleh, said in a statement on Tuesday that these projects will directly improve the efficiency of Jordanian ports, by improving the regularity of ships’ sailing schedules and times, reducing their waiting time, increasing berth turnover, improving the efficiency of handling operations, and enhancing the competitiveness of Jordanian ports and the phosphate and potash markets, in addition to easing pressure on the road and truck transportation network.

He added that Aqaba is moving toward an integrated model in which the ports become a main point of connection within interconnected transportation chains that include maritime, land and railway transport, logistics centers and dry ports, including the Ma’an dry port, allowing the movement of goods within an integrated operational chain extending from production areas to the port and markets, reaching the concept of door-to-door transportation.

Al-Assasleh stressed that the railways are not intended to replace or exclude truck transportation, but rather to add a more efficient link to the transportation system, and to distribute transportation roles according to the economic and operational efficiency of each mode, thereby easing pressure on roads and the port, and increasing Aqaba’s capacity to receive, handle and distribute goods to local and regional markets.