Minister, Egyptian counterpart explore railway project to reduce traffic

AMMAN — Minister of Municipal Affairs and Transport Walid Masri on Saturday inaugurated a national transport conference titled “Transport Challenges and Future Aspirations”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The conference, which was organised by the Alyasameen Institution in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, was attended by Egyptian Transport Minister Hesham Arafat, and Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh. Participants discussed the current challenges and possible solutions for the transport, trade and logistics sectors. 

Masri stressed the need to develop a multipronged plan to enhance the Jordanian economy, which would necessitate coordination among transport agencies.  He pointed out that constructing railways and pipelines for cargo purposes could decrease the overload on highways and roads. 

Masri highlighted the potential role of a railway project which could free up roads, adding that priority would be given to road maintenance and safety instead of building new highways. 

Arafat stressed the need to involve the private sector in transport projects as the public sector could not implement the projects alone. He referred to Egypt’s experience in including the private sector in railway projects.

Shawarbeh said that traffic was a critical challenge in Amman, reaffirming the Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) efforts to improve transport services. The mayor also said that the GAM would have a transport system solves the Amman traffic situation by the end of 2020.

CEO of the Alyasameen Institution Omar Zyoud added that the conference aimed to bridge cooperation between the public and private sectors in Jordan and the Arab World.