---
title: "Turkey and Saudi Arabia Want to Redraw the Middle East by Rail. Here's How"
description: "With shipping through Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb under threat, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are betting on rail. The plan could sideline a US-backed corridor through Israel, and redraw the region’s trade map."
url: https://fronts.co/article/turkey-and-saudi-arabia-want-to-redraw-the-middle-east-by-rail-heres-how.md
canonical: https://fronts.co/article/turkey-and-saudi-arabia-want-to-redraw-the-middle-east-by-rail-heres-how/
datePublished: 2026-10-27T17:21:14.000Z
dateModified: 2026-10-27T17:23:18.000Z
author:
  - name: William B. Lipscomb
    url: https://fronts.co/authors/william-lipscomb/
publisher: Fronts
image: "https://media.fronts.co/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,height=630,fit=cover,gravity=auto,quality=80,format=auto/images/articles/turkey-and-saudi-arabia-want-to-redraw-the-middle-east-by-rail-heres-how-e12f899d.jpg"
type: NewsArticle
language: en
sources:
  - "https://www.brookings.edu/articles/turkeys-search-for-a-middle-east-order/"
  - "https://www.dailysabah.com/business/economy/turkiye-saudi-arabia-sign-rail-logistics-cooperation-agreements"
  - "https://www.railwaypro.com/wp/turkiye-jordan-and-syria-aim-to-revive-rail-links/"
  - "https://warhistory.org/es/article/the-hejaz-railway-2"
  - "http://warhistory.org/"
  - "https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-lawrence-arabia-180951857/"
  - "https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraines-farmers-despair-russias-black-sea-blockade-traps-their-harvest-2026-08-13/"
  - "https://www.railway.supply/halkali-kapikule-project-nears-service-after-tests/"
  - "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/8/what-happened-in-syria-has-al-assad-really-fallen"
  - "https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/01/the-gulf-shifts-policies-in-response-to-the-new-syria"
  - "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/12/simultaneous-attacks-by-iran-backed-groups-against-saudi-arabia-point-to-renewed-proxy-alignment/"
  - "https://alhurra.com/en/25651"
  - "https://www.mei.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMEC_Backgrounder_2026_final.pdf"
  - "https://www.mfa.gov.tr/turkiye_s-multilateral-transportation-policy.en.mfa"
  - "https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/trump-backs-india-middle-east-europe-economic-corridor-amid-west-asia-war-126092300066_1.html"
  - "https://ecfr.eu/article/bypassing-the-straits-the-india-middle-east-europe-corridor-needs-a-wartime-redesign/"
  - "https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/08/08/mecca-pact-how-saudi-arabia-turkiye-and-pakistan-are-reshaping-west-asias-security/"
  - "https://www.dailysabah.com/business/transportation/turkiye-syria-jordan-to-modernize-their-railways-eye-new-corridor/amp"
  - "https://dayan.org/content/deciphering-erdogans-regional-paradigm-shifts"
  - "https://www.rfi.fr/en/podcasts/international-report/20260928-houthi-attacks-put-turkey-s-new-saudi-defence-pact-to-the-test"
  - "https://mecouncil.org/publication/the-mecca-joint-defense-agreement-the-makings-of-a-new-security-architecture/"
  - "https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-israels-dream-being-middle-easts-trade-hub-unravelling"
  - "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-erdogan-opposes-india-middle-east-corridor"
  - "https://www.npr.org/2024/12/19/nx-s1-5232809/syria-hts-funding"
  - "https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_26_1584"
  - "https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/iraq-turkey-finalize-draft-transport-infrastructure-agreement/"
  - "https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/development-road-project-to-contribute-55b-to-turkiyes-economy-over-10-years-minister/4093371"
tokens: 94
---

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With shipping through Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb under threat, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are betting on rail. The plan could sideline a US-backed corridor through Israel, and redraw the region’s trade map.

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Full analysis is behind the paywall. Read the gated piece at https://fronts.co/article/turkey-and-saudi-arabia-want-to-redraw-the-middle-east-by-rail-heres-how/.
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