Jordan will develop a railway network that will connect it to neighbouring countries, Minister of State for Economic Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh told local media.

Shehadeh said the project is part of the second phase of Jordan’s Economic Modernisation Vision 2033.

He added that under the first phase of the Economic Modernisation Vision (2023-25), Jordan launched 512 projects aimed at stimulating growth and improving public services.

The second phase of the roadmap will span 2026 to 2029. During this phase, the country plans to undertake major infrastructure projects.

The Economic Modernisation Vision – Amman’s flagship vehicle for its reform proposition – aims to increase average real income per capita by 3% a year, create 1 million jobs and more than double the country’s GDP over 10 years. The programme calls for the private sector to take the lead, accounting for 73% of the total $58.8bn of required investment.

To realise the vision, a large pipeline of public-private partnership (PPP) projects is required, covering areas such as water desalination, school construction, clean energy, green hydrogen, transport improvements and road construction.

Jordan is also developing several major infrastructure projects, most on a PPP basis. The most prominent is a phosphate railway line being developed in partnership with the UAE’s Etihad Rail.

A detailed study on the railway alignment and requirements for handling potash and phosphate is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with main contract tenders to follow early next year.

In September last year, Etihad Rail announced it had signed a $2.3bn memorandum of understanding with Jordan’s Transport Ministry and local firms to develop the project on a build-operate-maintain basis.