Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny holds a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Yarub Badr in the Ministry's headquarters in Damascus on Aug. 25, 2026. (Credit: Syria's state-run news agency SANA)
BEIRUT — Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Badr said after meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Fayez Rasamny, in Damascus on Tuesday that the two sides had agreed on practical steps to develop the transport sector between the two countries, according to Syria's state-run news agency, SANA.
Rasamny said after the meeting that the two sides had established the broad outlines for a railway link between Lebanon and Syria, with a specialized committee set to examine the technical aspects. The project could pave the way for a unified route linking Lebanon with Syria, Iraq, the Gulf states and Turkey.
Before the announcements, the two ministers discussed ways to develop the transport and logistics sectors, strengthen bilateral cooperation and expand trade flows in line with shared objectives and a clear timeline, according to SANA.
They also discussed developing and reactivating railway transport between the two countries, particularly through the Abboudieh area and its connection to the Syrian railway network toward Homs.
The ministers also reviewed the condition of railway lines and sections requiring rehabilitation, mechanisms for regulating train traffic, customs and security procedures, and coordination among government authorities to establish practical steps for restarting and gradually developing the railway line.
After the meeting, Badr said cooperation between Syria and Lebanon would help attract donors and secure funding for joint projects, adding that “work was underway to overcome obstacles to their implementation.”
The Syrian minister said work was also continuing to rehabilitate damaged roads, border crossings and bridges, adding that “reopening road crossings would help ease congestion and facilitate the movement of goods and passengers between the two countries.”
Rasamny, meanwhile, stressed the importance of accelerating work, exchanging ideas and setting clear, time-bound objectives to strengthen Syrian-Lebanese cooperation and support economic growth in both countries.
He also said restoring the railway link would require preparatory work and joint technical studies to determine routes, connection points and crossing mechanisms. He stressed the importance of establishing a unified plan between the two sides before moving to implementation.
Rasamny said rehabilitating border crossings, roads and bridges was a priority for facilitating the movement of goods and passengers. He added that the Arida border crossing is expected to resume operations within weeks, which would help ease pressure on other crossings.
Most border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, including Masnaa, Abboudieh and Arida on the coast north of Tripoli, were heavily damaged by Israeli strikes during the 2024 Hezbollah-Israel conflict.
In May, during a visit to the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, Rasamny approved an initial official step toward the possible rehabilitation of the roughly 40-kilometer railway linking Lebanon's second-largest port to the Abboudieh border crossing in Syria. He signed the terms of reference for a tender through which the Railways and Public Transport Authority (OCFTC) would select a firm to conduct a feasibility study for the project.
The first railway lines in Lebanon were laid more than 130 years ago, with the inauguration on Aug. 3, 1895, of a line between Beirut and Damascus. During the 1975-90 Civil War, most of Lebanon's railway network gradually disappeared, while illegal construction encroached on its tracks.
