Saudi Arabia and Turkey have signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) that could eventually connect the Gulf region to Europe by rail, passing through Islam’s two holiest cities.  The agreements were signed in Riyadh on 9 June 2026 by Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh Al-Jasser and Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu.

The first MoU covers logistics services, focusing on the construction and operation of logistics centres, knowledge sharing and joint activities between the two countries.

The second covers the railway sector directly — including cooperation on rail technologies, signalling and communication systems, infrastructure development, engineering standards, safety, digitalisation, environmental impact, training and human resources.

The Saudi-Turkish agreements build on earlier coordination. In April 2026, Turkey, Syria and Jordan signed a trilateral transport memorandum in Amman, agreeing on a plan to rehabilitate cross-border transport infrastructure over the next four to five years.

Turkish authorities have already begun restoring railway lines near the Syrian border that had been out of service for around 15 years.

Read the full story at The Islamic Information