Stained-glass illustration in blue glass of a robot and towers at the dawn of the infrastructure singularity

Sector guide 05 of 22 · Version 1.1

Transport in Jordan

Roads, rails and runways becoming one intelligent network.

$8.1bn: forward investment in its own projects
32: projects in this guide
6: in or linked to Aqaba

The sector today

Transport in Jordan

Jordan sits where the roads and railways of the Gulf, the Levant, Iraq and the Red Sea meet. Its main airport handled a record 9.79 million passengers in 2025, and trucks cross its borders with Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria every day of the year.

The country has already shown that private partners can build and run its transport assets. Queen Alia International Airport has been a build-operate-transfer concession since 2007, and in February 2025 the government and the operator confirmed its extension to 2039. Amman's bus rapid transit now links the capital with Zarqa, and the Ministry of Investment is tendering the first elevated toll road and a border crossing as PPPs.

The next phase connects everything. Light rail on the old Hejaz Railway alignment, a high-speed line to Aqaba, a rail link to Saudi Arabia and smart parking and electric charging in the cities will turn separate projects into one network. This guide sets out where the sector stands, the projects in the Jordan PPP project register, and the opportunities it opens as infrastructure moves towards the singularity.

9.79m: Passengers at Queen Alia International Airport in 2025, the highest in its history and up 11% on 2024.
18m: Passengers a year that the airport's expansion plan is designed to handle under the concession to 2039.
15.8 km: Length of the Amman Bridge, Jordan's first elevated toll expressway, with a lane for bus rapid transit.
60 km: Length of the planned Amman-Zarqa light rail to the airport, whose economic feasibility study was completed in 2026.

The singularity

Movement is the network of the singularity

The infrastructure singularity is the point where roads, grids, ports and water networks become one connected, intelligent system, built by robotics, run by artificial intelligence and financed by tokenization. Transport is the part of that system people feel every day, because it decides how quickly a person, a parcel or a container reaches its destination.

Artificial intelligence: Plans timetables, sets signal timings and predicts demand across bus, rail and road networks. AI also reads cameras and sensors to manage tolls, borders and parking, so capacity follows people as they move.
Robotics: Machines lay track, build viaducts and inspect bridges and tunnels, while automated inspection lanes speed up trucks at border crossings.
Tokenization: Toll roads, airports and parking networks earn steady fees for decades. Tokenized stakes let citizens and investors abroad own part of them and share each payment.
Autonomy: Driverless buses, rail shuttles and freight trucks running on dedicated lanes turn the network into a service that runs around the clock.
Electrification: Electric buses, cars and trains powered by Jordan's own sun and wind cut fuel imports and make mobility a product of local energy.

Flagship projects

The projects that lead the sector

Tendering · Amman
Amman Bridge (Elevated Toll Expressway)
A 15.8 km elevated highway along King Abdullah II Road from Sweileh, with two lanes each way, a lane for bus rapid transit, 13 BRT stations and free-flow electronic tolling. It is offered as a design, build, finance, operate and maintain PPP, and the existing road stays free.
Pipeline · Zarqa to Queen Alia Airport
Amman-Zarqa Light Rail
A 60 km light rail line that would rehabilitate the old Hejaz Railway between Amman and Zarqa and extend it from north Zarqa to the airport at about 60 km/h. The government completed its economic feasibility study in 2026, and the project is proposed for private construction and operation.
Pipeline · Amman to Aqaba
Amman to Aqaba High-Speed Rail
A passenger railway of about 330 km through the southern governorates, aiming for journeys under three hours between the capital and the Red Sea. A build-operate-transfer model is under consideration, and the line would tie tourism, industry and the port into one corridor.
Under way · Amman
Queen Alia International Airport
Jordan's main gateway, run since 2007 by Airport International Group under a concession extended to 2039. A programme of 15 projects, including runway rehabilitation and a larger baggage hall, supports an expansion plan for 18 million passengers a year.
Tendering · Amman and Zarqa
BRT Phase 1 Vehicle Operator
A 12-year operations PPP to supply and run 250 buses, 96 articulated and 154 standard, on 14 bus rapid transit routes in Amman and between Amman and Zarqa. The operator is paid per bus-kilometre, with fleet management and intelligent transport systems.
Tendering · Mafraq
Jaber Border Crossing Development
A brownfield PPP on the Jordan-Syria border in which a private partner finances, expands and runs the cargo yards, electronic systems, queue management and commercial services, while customs and security stay with the government. Prequalification applications are due on November 10, 2026.

Every project

32 projects in Jordan’s pipeline

Values in US dollars; * estimated where no figure has been published. Rows in grey sit in another sector and connect to this one.

Project	Location	Stage	Value
Amman to Aqaba High-Speed Rail (HSR)	Amman to Aqaba	Pipeline	$3.2bn
Amman-Zarqa Light Rail (LRT)	North Zarqa to Queen Alia International	Pipeline	$1.4bn
Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA)	Amman	Under way	$1bn*
Amman Bridge (Elevated Toll Expressway)	Amman: Sweileh	Tendering	$651m
Amman BRT Project (Phase II)	Amman and Madaba	Pipeline	$361m*
Al Mahatta-Queen Alia Airport Light Rail (LRT)	Amman Governorate: Al Mahatta station	Open opportunity	$300m*
King Hussein Bridge Crossing (Redevelopment)	King Hussein Bridge	Pipeline	$200m
Amman Ring Road / Development Corridor Phase II	Greater Amman	Pipeline	$150m*
Amman-Ajloun Toll Road	Amman-Irbid Road	Pipeline	$120m*
Saudi-Jordan Railway Link	Saudi border to Jordan	Pipeline	$110m*
Jaber Border Crossing Development	Jaber, Mafraq Governorate	Tendering	$100m*
Karamah Border Crossing Development	Al Karamah	Pipeline	$100m*
Amman Smart Parking PPP	Amman	Tendering	$82m*
BRT Phase 1, Vehicle Operator	Amman and Amman-Zarqa	Tendering	$82m
National School Transport Project	Phase 1: Karak	Under way	$60m*
New Al-Mahatta Station Complex (BRT Interchange)	Al-Mahatta, Amman	Under way	$47m
Al-Durra Border Centre Rehabilitation and Expansion	Al-Durra border centre on the Jordan-Sau	Tendering	$28m
Zarqa Public Transport Terminal	Zarqa	Tendering	$17m
BRT Phase 1, Fare Collection System Operator	Amman and Amman-Zarqa	Tendering	$13m
Salt Public Transport Departure and Arrival Centre	Salt city, Balqa Governorate	Pipeline	$11m
Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) System	Al Quweira-Aqaba Highway	Pipeline	$10m*
EV Charging Station & Maintenance Center	Balqa	Open opportunity	$10m*
Surface Parking Facilities, Ajloun	Al-Sawan Forest	Open opportunity	$7m*
Irbid Ring Road-Princess Basma Hospital Link Road	Irbid: from the Irbid Ring Road	Under way	$6.2m
Aqaba-Al-Shidiyeh-Ma'an Railway (Phosphate/Potash Freight)	Aqaba to the Eshidiya mines and Ma'an Lo	Under way	$2.5bn
Aqaba-Ma'an Dry Port & Development Zone	Ma'an Development Zone, Ma'an	Pipeline	$150m*
Commercial Services on the Al-Harraneh-Omari Toll Road	Al-Harraneh-Omari toll road	Pipeline	$40m*
Electric Vehicle Assembly Plant	Designated development zone in Jordan	Open opportunity	$29m*
Machaerus Cable Car	Madaba Governorate: from a bus parking a	Open opportunity	$18m*
Karak City Revitalization & Cable Car	Karak city: castle	Under way	$14m
Amman Cable Car (Teleferic)	Downtown Amman: Jabal Al-Qalaa	Under way	$11m
Ajloun Cable Car (Teleferic Ajloun)	Ajloun	Delivered	$18m

AI, robotics and tokenization

What changes for Jordan's transport sector

Artificial intelligence

AI lets Jordan plan and run its transport network on data. Ridership models size the light rail and bus rapid transit fleets, traffic models price the Amman Bridge tolls, and cameras at Jaber and the other crossings sort trucks before they reach the gate. Once services run, the same models set timetables, dispatch buses and predict faults in vehicles, track and bridges before they cause delays.

What can be built

Demand models. Ridership and traffic forecasts for light rail, bus rapid transit and toll roads that lenders accept as the basis for a concession's revenue.
Live dispatch. A control center that runs buses, trains and parking as one service, adjusting frequencies to demand minute by minute.
Smart borders. Plate, container and document recognition at Jaber, Karamah and Al-Durra that clears trusted trucks before they stop.
Asset health. Models that read sensor and inspection data from bridges, tunnels and pavements and schedule repairs before anything fails.

Robotics

Robotics lowers the cost of building and keeping Jordan's network in service. Viaduct segments for the Amman Bridge can be cast and placed by automated equipment, track machines can lay and maintain the light rail, and drones can survey every bridge and pavement on a fixed cycle. In depots, robots can wash and service buses, and driverless shuttles can feed airport, campus and BRT stations.

What can be built

Automated construction. Precast segment factories and placing machines that build elevated roads and rail viaducts with fewer workers in traffic.
Drone inspection. Drones and survey vehicles that map cracks, potholes and corrosion on roads, bridges and track across the country.
Robotic depots. Automated washing, charging and maintenance bays that turn buses and light rail vehicles around overnight.
Driverless feeders. Autonomous shuttles linking neighborhoods, Queen Alia International Airport and BRT stations on dedicated lanes.

Tokenization

A toll road, a parking network or a transit concession earns from every trip for decades, the kind of steady revenue a token represents well. Tokenized stakes in the Amman Bridge or Amman's smart parking network could let commuters, Jordanians abroad and regional investors own part of the network they use and receive their share of each toll or fee as it is paid.

What can be built

Toll road tokens. Stakes in a toll road concession that pay holders a share of each electronic toll as it is collected.
Parking shares. Fractional ownership of a city parking network, paid from the fees recorded on its digital platform.
Transit bonds. Tokenized bonds for electric buses and depots, repaid from availability payments under operations contracts.
Commuter ownership. Stakes offered first to the people who ride a line, so regular passengers share in its revenue.

Small PPPs and unsolicited proposals

Small PPPs and research labs

Small PPPs suit transport, because a route, a junction or a parking zone can be changed and measured within weeks. A transport research lab inside the Ministry of Transport or the Land Transport Regulatory Commission could run $100,000 pilots such as an electric feeder bus to one BRT station, AI signal timing at ten Amman junctions, or drone inspection of every bridge on one highway, then carry the results into the large concessions.

How it works

Unsolicited proposals under Article 15

Companies in transport see where passengers wait and where traffic stops. Under Article 15 a company could propose a park-and-ride site at the end of a BRT line, an electric bus depot with solar canopies, a truck parking and services yard at a border crossing, a feeder bus network for Zarqa or Irbid, or charging hubs along the Desert Highway, and keep the right to match the best offer at tender.

How it works

New industries

What the sector can create

01Rail engineering and servicesBuilding, maintaining and operating light, high-speed and freight rail, with Jordanian engineers who can then serve projects across the region.
02Mobility as a serviceOne platform for buses, rail, taxis, parking and tolls, with one account and one payment for every trip in the country.
03Autonomous transitDriverless shuttles and buses on dedicated lanes, tested first on airport, campus and bus rapid transit routes.
04Electric vehicle assembly and chargingAssembling electric cars and buses in the development zones and running charging networks powered by solar.
05Smart bordersAutomated scanning, digital customs and truck booking systems that cut crossing times, offered as a service to neighbours.
06Transport dataSelling anonymised movement data and AI forecasts to planners, insurers, retailers and logistics companies.

Opportunities

Where partners come in

PPP tenders: Bid for the Amman Bridge, the Jaber crossing, bus operations and smart parking, alone or in consortiums with contractors, operators and lenders.
Direct proposals: Propose a project under Article 15 of PPP Law No. 19 of 2023, such as a light rail line, a toll road or a transit hub.
Small-scale PPPs: Regulation No. 9 of 2024 allows small-scale PPPs below about US$14.1 million, which suits charging hubs, parking and bus stations.
Rail partnerships: Join the light rail, high-speed and Saudi link projects as designers, builders, rolling stock suppliers or operators.
Investment incentives: Use the Investment Environment Law, the development zones and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone for vehicle assembly and transport services.
Investment and ownership: Finance concessions through infrastructure funds, development banks and tokenized stakes that open ownership to more investors.

Stained-glass illustration in blue glass of a city of towers under a rising arch

The road to the singularity

2026The Amman Bridge and Jaber crossing move through prequalification; light rail studies finish; smart parking is tendered in Amman.
2030Bus rapid transit runs at full scale; the first light rail line is under construction; the airport grows towards 18 million passengers.
2035Rail links Amman, Zarqa and the airport; a line to Saudi Arabia is in service; most new buses are electric.
2040AI runs traffic, tolls and transit as one system; autonomous shuttles serve the main corridors and border crossings.
2050High-speed rail joins Amman and Aqaba, and Jordan is a regional corridor for people and goods between the Gulf and Europe.

Jordan's position has always made it a route between regions. The projects in the Jordan PPP project register are the first steps towards a network that moves people and goods across the country in minutes, powered by its own energy and run by intelligence.

Download the sector guide (PDF)

Guides for organizations

Launch a PPP program of your own

The guides closest to Jordan's transport sector, each showing one kind of organization how to launch a PPP program, with six first steps.

Economic sectors
Transport Companies
Your company launches a PPP program to build and run bus rapid transit, rail, toll roads, stations, parking and airport services as public-private partnerships (PPPs) for decades.
Read PDF
Operators and services
Rail Companies
Your company launches a PPP program to build, equip and run freight and passenger rail lines, rail links to Aqaba’s port, rolling stock and maintenance depots as public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Read PDF
Operators and services
Bus and Public Transport Operators
Your company launches a PPP program to build and run bus networks, bus rapid transit lines, depots, electric fleets and fare systems as public-private partnerships (PPPs) for decades.
Read PDF
Economic sectors
Electric Mobility Companies
Your company launches a PPP program to build, finance and operate charging networks, electric bus fleets and depots, battery storage and smart parking as public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Read PDF
Operators and services
Aviation Companies
Your company launches a PPP program to build, finance and operate the terminals, cargo centers, maintenance hangars, training academies and aviation services that public-private partnership (PPP) projects create.
Read PDF