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Railways In Jordan

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STEVIEBOY1

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I was watching a Travel Programme about Jordan a few days ago and it showed a steam hauled passenger train, I think in the Wadi Rum area in the South. I was wondering if there are any Passenger or freight services that operate in Jordan? I was there in the mid 1980's and remember seeing bits of line going south of Amman towards Aqaba. There is not much on the web or overseas timetable about this.
 
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Calthrop

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As per my best understanding: railways currently active on some level in Jordan, are on the unusual 1050mm gauge -- that of the one-time Hedjaz Railway system, whose active mileage has been overall lessening over the past 100-odd years. They comprise a (relatively new) route from phosphate mines near Ma'an, well south of Amman, to a port on the Gulf of Aqaba -- for phosphate traffic only, all-diesel-worked; and the main-line route north from Amman, to the Syrian border at Dera'a (running thence on the same 1050mm gauge, to Damascus in Syria) -- has long had fairly low-level passenger and freight services, diesel-operated, and inter-working with the lines in Syria north of Dera'a. I don't know what may now be happening on these sections in Syria, what with the current situation in that country; I presume that at least a token service still runs on the Jordanian end of the line.

The Jordanian authorities have quite ambitious plans for railway replacement / new construction in the country, including links into neighbouring countries -- little or nothing seems actually to be happening, re these intentions. Any such developments would be on standard 1435mm gauge.

Although all regular rail workings in Jordan are diesel; a number of steam locos are preserved in working order in the country, and are used on occasion, on specials chartered by tour groups.
 

edwin_m

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A colleague of mine visited in around 2010 to look at the feasibility of re-opening the Hejaz Railway from Amman northwards to Zarqa. There was no service running at the time but he was taken on a tour using a small diesel-powered engineer's vehicle (*envy*). There is extensive development around the line including one section which is pretty much used at the market for the local community, and I think there would have been enough demand to warrant conversion to a modern (probably) light rail service. The line was severed north of Zarqa for a road scheme but this was done in a way that would allow future re-connection. With the subsequent turmoil in the region the scheme came to nothing. I saw plans for a 1435mm line taking over the approximate alignment of the Hejaz north of Zarqa and on into Syria, but taking a new alignment east of Amman and eventually into Saudi, but for obvious reasons I can't see that going anywhere either.
 

Calthrop

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edwin_m, with your post -- seems I've been rather badly out of date, in thinking that the old Hedjaz line north of Amman, was still running -- with that not having been the case, even some eight years ago ! I knew that south from Amman to the Ma'an area, had long been disused...

Occasional steam specials still in the Amman area, even with no regular "bread-and-butter" workings on this part of the system...?
 

MarcVD

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Been there in 2017 and here is what I saw.

Freight operational between the phosphates mines and Aqaba, partially on the old hedjaz alignment, partially on a new trackbed. No passenger trains. Open air museum in the Wadi Rum station. One freight return trip per day.

North of Amman, track still in place but disused.

South of Amman, track still in place and apparently minimally maintained so that specials and empty moves are possible.

I stopped my car on top of an overpass south of Amman and saw, in distance, a small station with rolling stock parked, one engine with its headlight lit. Searched on Internet when back home, apparently a special was being prepared for a group of uk enthusiasts.

There is apparently a project for a link from Israël to Amman using the recently re opened line to Beit She'an.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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Thanks for all the replies, perhaps there will be a service in the future.
 

theageofthetra

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When I was last there about 7 years ago there was a Japanese built tender loco near Wadi Rum. Is it still there?
 

MarcVD

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Yes it is still there. You can find pictures on the links I mentionned above. But it is all in French...
 

E759

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Chris Tarrant Extreme Railway Journeys Railway to the Holy Land. Steams loco pulling carriages for tourists and flats with soldiers and guns gets attacked by insurgents on horse and armoured Rolls Royce. Looks great fun. Hope a steam line in the UK does something similar in the future. [Was on the Telly Christmas Eve'ish but can't find it streaming anywhere (legal). The intro only is available on YT.]
 
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