Turkey plans rail extension to Aleppo under historic Hejaz line revival
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkey plans to extend its existing railway network to the Syrian city of Aleppo as part of efforts linked to reviving the historic Hejaz Railway, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, said on Friday.
Speaking during an event for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Afyonkarahisar, Uraloğlu said the revival carries symbolic and historical value. However, for freight and logistics, Ankara would prioritize extending the current Turkish rail line to Aleppo at an estimated cost of $110 million.
“Between Aleppo and Damascus, there is already a functioning railway,” he noted.
The minister added that Turkey also intends to revive the railway stretching from Nusaybin in southeastern Turkey to Qamishli in northeast Syria, which would provide rail connectivity with both Syria and Iraq. He said the projects are on Ankara’s agenda.
The Hejaz Railway, also known as the Hamidian Railway, is among the region’s most prominent historical infrastructure projects. Built during the reign of Abdul Hamid II between 1900 and 1908, the line initially ran about 1,322 kilometers from Damascus to Medina, later expanding with additions to nearly 1,900 kilometers.
The railway passed through present-day Jordan on its way from Damascus to Medina. Plans to extend it to Mecca were never completed.
The project involved Ottoman and German engineers and included extensive infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, stations, a parallel telegraph line, and guard posts to protect the track.
Historically, the railway aimed to strengthen links between Ottoman governorates and facilitate the transport of pilgrims to Medina.