The International Railway Journal highlights major rail projects set to shape the Middle East in 2025, including Dubai’s Blue Line, Jordan’s Aqaba Railway, and the Baghdad Metro.
Dubai Blue Line (UAE)
- Type: Metro
- Construction Start: April 2025
- Completion: 2029
- Length: 30km
- Cost: $5.6 billion
Dubai’s Blue Line project took a significant step forward on December 19, when the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) awarded a 20.5 billion dirham ($5.6 billion) contract to a consortium led by Turkey’s Mapa, in partnership with Limak and China’s CRRC. Mapa and Limak will handle civil works, while CRRC will supply rail systems and 28 driverless trains. Construction is set to begin in April, with operations expected to start in September 2029.
The 30km line will feature 14 stations, including 15.5km of underground and 14.5km of elevated tracks. The project includes a 21km section with 10 stations from Al Khor on the Green Line to Dubai Academic City, as well as a 9km branch with four stations connecting to Centrepoint on the Red Line. A new rolling stock depot will be built at Al Ruwaiyah 3.
Aqaba Railway (Jordan)
- Type: Freight railway
- Construction Start: 2026
- Completion: 2030
- Length: 360km
- Cost: $2.3 billion
Jordan’s Ministry of Transport has partnered with the UAE’s Etihad Rail and local companies to develop a new freight railway linking the Red Sea port of Aqaba with phosphate and potash mines in Al-Shidiya and Ghor Al-Safi. The line will extend from Aqaba to Wadi Al-Yatam, where it will split—one branch heading north to Al-Shidiya and the other continuing east through Ghor Al-Safi to Wadi Araba.
Detailed studies are expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with construction tenders to be issued in early 2026. Once operational in 2030, the railway is projected to transport 13 million tonnes of phosphate and 3 million tonnes of potash annually. The project received a $2.3 billion investment agreement from the UAE and Jordan on September 4.
Baghdad Metro (Iraq)
- Type: Metro
- Construction Start: 2025
- Completion: 2029
- Length: 148km
- Cost: $18 billion
Baghdad’s long-planned metro system is progressing, with design work underway and infrastructure, rolling stock, and station specifications being developed by a government-appointed consultant. The project, set to cost $18 billion, will feature a seven-line driverless metro network.
On November 6, Nasser Al-Asadi, the Iraqi prime minister’s transport advisor, confirmed that the government is working with the Baghdad Municipality to finalize financial procedures with the investor. The project is being developed under a design, build, operate, maintain, finance, and transfer (DBOMFT) model. In July, the government named the Vaskhod & Wonter International Capital Coalition as the preferred bidder. The consortium includes Alstom, French National Railways (SNCF), Sener, Systra, Talgo, Turkish construction firms, and Deutsche Bank.
These ambitious projects signal major advancements in regional transportation, enhancing connectivity and economic growth across the Middle East.
