Syria’s rail infrastructure desperately needs reconstruction following years of civil war [Izettin Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images]
Syria is seeking international grants worth up to $200 million to rehabilitate its war-damaged railway network and reposition itself as a regional transport corridor linking Asia, the Gulf and Europe, according to Transport Minister Yarub Badr.
Damascus is pursuing World Bank grants ranging between $65 million and $200 million to support the reconstruction of railway infrastructure devastated during the country’s 13-year war, Badr told SANA.
The railway lines identified for rehabilitation include the Midan Ikbis and Al-Rai crossings linking Syria to Turkey, while Damascus is also seeking to restore rail connectivity with Jordan and Iraq.
Plans are also underway for a new railway linking Damascus to the Jordanian border, with the line expected to eventually extend toward Saudi Arabia.
Alongside railway reconstruction, Syria is discussing reopening regional freight corridors for trucks, with negotiations underway with Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to simplify customs and border crossing procedures.
The transport ministry expects agreements signed with Turkey and Jordan to begin producing results before the end of the year.
Before the war, Syria functioned as a major regional transit route connecting the Mediterranean with Iraq and the Gulf.
Badr noted that the railway network previously linked the port of Tartous with Umm Qasr in Iraq via Baghdad, while more than 100,000 trucks once crossed through Syrian territory.
The plans come as regional states increasingly search for alternative trade and shipping routes following the disruption caused by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the recent US-Israeli war on Iran, which triggered renewed concerns over energy security and global supply chains.
The revival of Syria’s transport sector also follows efforts by Jordan, Syria and Turkey to restore parts of the historic Hejaz Railway, which once connected Istanbul to Medina.
Yazan al-Saadi, The New Arab’s Beirut-based international editor, said the reopening of transport links could create broader economic opportunities across the region.
“90% of the Syrian population is underneath or along the poverty line. A lot of Syrians are suffering,” he said, describing the situation as the result of “13 years of civil war and five decades of dictatorship”.
“So, that’s the hope,” he added.
“In terms of regional economic development, having an interconnected railway system and this cross-national transaction of goods, and more importantly, of people, if that’s doable, then I think it’s going to have a lot of positive ramifications,” al-Saadi said.
“But the question is, will these ramifications cover the gaps in poverty that Syrians are already experiencing? We will need to wait and see.”
Al-Saadi said Syria’s geographic position could make it central to future regional integration efforts if political conditions remain stable.
“One of the reasons why there hasn’t been regional unity, per se, is because the borders between [countries] have been so rigid, it’s hard to move goods, capital, and people between them,” he said.
“So, once that breaks down, I think that is quite powerful and important in the long run. And Syria, with its geographic position and its history, it can play into that.”
Syria seeks revival as trade corridor linking Gulf and Europe
Syrian journalist Absi Someisem told The New Arab that Syria was positioning itself once again as a strategic transit hub linking Europe, the Gulf and Asia.
He said Damascus is expected to present itself at the upcoming G7 summit in Paris as “an alternative and strategic centre for the global shipping crisis”.
Someisem noted that Syria had already signed memoranda of understanding with Gulf and European companies to rehabilitate Tartous port, redevelop Damascus International Airport and establish a free trade zone near the Lebanese border.
He said Syria’s success in reclaiming its historical role as a regional trade corridor would depend on rebuilding transport infrastructure, logistics hubs and railways damaged during the war, while also ensuring transparent governance and preventing corruption.
Avoiding renewed military escalation inside Syria would also be critical, he added.
Though the challenges are significant, Someisem said they were “not impossible, if there is a will to achieve them”.
