Turkish, Saudi state railways ink deal for cooperation on infrastructure, maintenance

By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's State Railways (TCDD) and Saudi State Railways (SAR) signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday for railway maintenance and repair, infrastructure development, traffic management and capacity allocation, and training and consultancy.

The deal was signed in Saudi Arabia during meetings held with delegations led by TCDD Director General Veysi Kurt and SAR General Manager Bashar bin Khalid Al Malik, Türkiye's Transport Ministry wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

"The meeting addressed long-term cooperation opportunities in the areas of: Railway maintenance and repair, infrastructure development, traffic management and capacity allocation, training and consultancy," it said.

At the conclusion of the meetings, a Memorandum of Understanding on the Development of Cooperation in the Railway Sector was signed between the two state railways.

"With this cooperation, TCDD aims to strengthen its strong partnership in the international railway network and further consolidate Türkiye's leading position in global transportation corridors," it added.

Türkiye has recently been expanding its railway cooperation network in the Arab world. The transport ministers of Türkiye, Syria, and Jordan have agreed to revive the Hejaz Railway, marking a historic step in regional transportation, according to Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.

He adding that 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of missing superstructure of the railway in Syria will be completed with Turkish assistance.

The Jordanian side will explore technical capabilities for the maintenance, repair, and operation of locomotives in Syria, he said.

Joint will do technical studies to strengthen Türkiye's Red Sea connection via the Port of Aqaba, he underlined.