Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) announced on Thursday, 26 March, the launch of new railway corridors dedicated to freight services linking ports on the Arabian Gulf with the Al‑Haditha crossing on the Saudi Arabia–Jordan border.
The initiative connects facilities in the country’s Eastern Province directly with the northern border and neighbouring countries. This development comes amidst cargo transport constraints created by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The geopolitical conflict between Iran, the US and Israel, which started nearly a month ago, has disrupted ocean freight services and increased demand for intermodal solutions across countries in the Middle East.
According to SAR, the newly launched corridors enable freight trains to operate between Dammam Port, King Fahd Industrial Port and Jubail Commercial Port, extending onward to Al‑Haditha Port.
The route establishes direct railway access to Jordan, home of the Port of Aqaba on the Red Sea, and to countries located north of the Kingdom. The same rail link can be used in the reverse direction, providing flexibility for import and export flows through a single land corridor.
The route exceeds 1,700 kilometres and is expected to reduce transit time by half when compared with other land freight options.
SAR further reports that the rail connection will reduce the number of trucks on roads, contribute to infrastructure preservation, improve safety levels and support lower carbon emissions through more efficient freight movement.
