Aqaba Railway Corporation

Jordan had two connected but non-contiguously operated sections of the 1908 Ottoman Hejaz Railway that still exist:

From Jiza, south of Jordan to Amman and then to Damascus, as the "Hejaz Jordan Railway". The northern part of the train connecting Amman to Damascus ceased to operate due to the Syrian Civil War.

From phosphate mines near Ma'an to the Gulf of Aqaba as the "Aqaba Railway". Aqaba Railway ceased operations in 2018 after the transport of phosphate was moved to a different terminal in Port of Aqaba

In the 2000s, Jordanian government began acquiring land for new rail routes. Following a study by BNP Paribas, three routes were planned, which were expected to be tendered later in 2010. The three routes were:

From the Syrian border, via Zarqa, to the Saudi border; replacing part of the Hejaz Railway;

Connecting the first line to Aqaba, and from Mafraq to Irbid, replacing another part of the Hejaz railway;

A link to the Iraqi border.

However, in late 2010, the government announced an economic relief package and following the 2011 Jordanian protests it was decided to reduce the expected three-year capital investment plan in the national railway network by 72 percent, partly to fund the relief package.

Beyond the Aqaba project, Jordan's Ministry of Transport is advancing the Jordan National Railway Project—a planned 897‑kilometre standard‑gauge freight network that would link Amman, Zarqa, and Mafraq to the Port of Aqaba and the Shidiya mine, with connections to the railways of Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iraq. A separate design study for an Aqaba–Amman line has been prepared by engineering firm Dar, envisioning a 418‑kilometer closed‑loop railway projected to carry 40 million tonnes of freight by 2030 and 50 million tonnes by 2040.

The Jordanian government has also been exploring cross‑border rail links with Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and discussions are ongoing with Syria and Turkey regarding the restoration of the historic Hejaz Railway connection. In 2025, limited heritage passenger services on the Hejaz Jordan Railway were launched between Amman and Mafraq, with plans to resume symbolic trips to Daraa, Syria, pending coordination with Syrian authorities.