UAE, Jordan Sign $2.3B Railway Deal for Mining Links

The United Arab Emirates and Jordan signed a $2.3 billion agreement on Wednesday to build a 360-kilometer railway network connecting key mining areas in southern Jordan to the Port of Aqaba, aiming to streamline exports of phosphate and potash while fostering deeper economic ties between the two nations.

The signing ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi, attended by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's vice president and deputy prime minister. On behalf of the UAE, Suhail bin Mohamed Al Mazrouei, the minister of energy and infrastructure, and on behalf of Jordan, Nidal AlQatamin, the minister of transport, formalized the deal. The project establishes the UAE-Jordan Railway Company as a joint venture between Abu Dhabi's LIMAD Holding Company and Jordanian entities, including the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company, Arab Potash Company, Jordan Social Security Investment Fund, and Government Investments Management Company. Etihad Rail, the operator of the UAE's national railway system, will handle construction, operation, and maintenance.

The railway will link phosphate and potash mines in regions such as AlShidiya, Ghor AlSafi, Maan, and...