Jordan Times
Tuesday, June 9, 1998
Majali urges renovation of Hijaz railway for commercial, touristic use
AMMAN (J.T.) — Prime Minister Abdul Salam Majali Monday urged the
Ministry of Transport to revive the Hijaz railway for commercial and touristic purposes in
coordination with Syria and Turkey, two countries through which the line passes.
Dr. Majali was speaking during a meeting with Minister of Transport and Telecommunications
Sami Gammoh and senior ministry officials to discuss means of promoting public transport
services.
Mr. Gammoh said a consortium of Japanese and Jordanian firms has begun a feasibility study
on building a railway between Zarqa and the University of Jordan and between Zarqa and
eastern Amman districts.
The Ministry of Transport last month awarded the contract to the consortium, which will
conduct the study over a period of one year and prepare technical, financial and legal
reports and tender documents on the project with the assistance of the ministry.
The project is designed to help ease traffic congestion in and between Amman and Zarqa,
the two most densely populated regions of Jordan.
During the meeting, Mr. Gammoh said the ministry has invited major international firms to
team up with local investors to compete for a concession to operate the Aqaba Railway
Corporation (ARC).
The ministry wants to extend a 38-kilometre length of rail from the main phosphate mines
in southern Jordan to Aqaba in order to facilitate the transportation of phosphate.
The company that will be selected to carry out the expansion will assume the ARC's role in
operating phosphate transportation by 1999.
Mr. Gammoh said the overhaul of the ARC is of vital importance to the Kingdom as it will
help boost phosphate exports from the present three million tonnes to 10 million per
annum.
The prime minister was briefed on the privatisation of the Public Transport Corporation
(PTC), which operates buses within the Amman region.
According to Mr. Gammoh, eight firms have already requested tender documents, which he
said reflects the private sector's interest in investing in public transportation
services.
He said companies interested in operating public transport services along the 25 routes in
the Amman area should have a capital of at least JD2 million and sufficient experience to
run buses according to fixed schedules. This transport system is designed to reduce
dependence on private transportation and oil consumption, Mr. Gammoh added.
The minister said the privatisation of the PTC is especially important since it has lost
to date JD12 million, or JD2 million per year.