Mar Mikhael's historic train station building. Lebanon's railway system was heavily damaged after the civil war, while rail service has not operated since 1994. (Credit: Richard Salame)
BEIRUT – Plans first revealed in June to turn 10,000 square meters of the old Mar Mikhael train station into a park are moving ahead, as Italy and UN-Habitat signed a 2.3 million euro agreement on Wednesday to fund the project.
Here's what we know:
• The two-year project will be funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented by UN-Habitat in coordination with the Directorate General of Antiquities, the Railway and Public Transportation Authority (RPTA), and the municipality and governorate of Beirut.
• In June, caretaker Culture Minister Mohamad Mortada estimated the project would take about a year to complete.
• The park, which planners say will include a museum, artist workshop, and exhibition space, will only occupy a portion of the 62,000 square meter train station complex. The RPTA continues to use other parts of the site as a bus depot and for administrative offices.
• In a statement accompanying the signing, Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Nicoletta Bombardiere said, “This project will allow people in Beirut to rediscover the old train station of Mar Mikhael, and its historical relevance. At the same time, we remain committed to respond to basic needs, such as social housing, restoring the cultural and social fabric of mostly [sic] affected neighborhoods.”