Just as rapidly as Bashar al-Assad lost power in Syria, new opportunities for the country are popping up. It is no secret that its northern neighbour Türkiye has welcomed the political turnaround, and it is now coming forward with new rail freight plans as diplomatic ties are being restored.
Only a year prior to the Syrian civil war, Syria and Türkiye established a rail line between Syria’s Aleppo and the Turkish port of Mersin. It has been closed for over 12 years, but Ankara is now eyeing its reopening. Both freight and passengers could soon be travelling between the two countries via rail.
The Turkish section of the 365-kilometre line has reportedly already undergone inspections. It is now up to the new Syrian authorities to allow for the repairs of its part of the line. Besides Mersin and Aleppo, the port of Iskenderun is also supposed to be connected with the railway. Moreover, passengers from Kilis and Gaziantep should also be able to have a link to the line, according to Turkish media.
Ankara’s ambitions reportedly go beyond just a connection to Aleppo, as there are already supposed to be plans for an extension of the line to Syria’s capital city Damascus.