Lebanon signed a contract with French transportation firm SEMVAT and the French regional council of Midi Pyrenes to reform the country’s public transportation system and railway lines. The 100-day contract covers the computerization of the entire transportation sector as well as the upgrading of its maintenance department and the training of its personnel.
Transportation Minister Najib Mikati noted that the agreement is an important step towards the privatization of the public transportation sector. Additionally, a deal was also signed to build a series of standardized bus terminals throughout the country, beginning in Tripoli. Mikati said his ministry aims to universalize the Lebanese public transportation system and facilitate traffic flow.
The Lebanese cabinet announced the allocation of $18 million to re-establish the 34-kilometer railway line between Tripoli and Aboudieh in Syria. The revitalized line continues on to Turkey and Iraq and is expected to help the Lebanese economy on several levels, including streamlining the flow of goods arriving at Lebanese ports to the rest of the Middle East and former Soviet
Republics.
Under the terms of the agreement, the railway is to be built by Syrian experts under Lebanese supervision. In parallel, the United States Trade Development Agency is currently studying two other railway projects — one running from Jounieh to Jiyyeh and the other from Riaq to Homs. All the new lines will be universal and eventually connected. — (Lebanon Invest)
