The Transportation Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria agreed in Amman on Thursday to have a joint study conducted throughout the next three weeks on the possibility of reviving the Hejaz Railway, which stretches across the three countries. The Supreme Commission of the Hejaz Railway concluded its meeting in Amman on Thursday as the meeting's record was signed. Saudi Minister of Transportation Dr. Jubara Al-Suraisri signed the agreement representing the Kingdom, as Jordanian and Syrian Ministers of Transportation, Engineer Ala'a Al-Batayneh and Ya'areb Badr signed for their countries. The Jordanian Minister told the Arabic daily Al-Watan the meeting's report implied the affirmation of the importance of railroad links among the three countries, and the consideration of the agreement the three countries signed in 1966 on possession and rights of the railroad stretching among them. He added that the Hejaz railroad is vdry old and needs restructuring and modifications to meet global standards of railways before it can be used. The Hejaz railroad is considered an Islamic endowment and an integrated unit, as its operations are managed by Jordanian, Saudi and Syrian managements, according to the train's path. A train currently transports passengers and goods between Damascus and Amman, in addition to domestic tourism trips. Building the Hejaz railroad began in 1900, when the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hameed called on Muslims to donate for the establishment of a railroad that connects Damascus to the holy cities of Makkah and Madina, which were under Ottoman control at the time. The project cost five million Ottoman golden liras, a huge amount of money at the time. The construction began with building of a narrow line at a rated caravan weight of 10.5 tons, and a 1,303 kilometer-long communication wire line between Damascus and Madina passing through Amman. The project was completed in 1908. __
