Lebanon plans to expand port capacity and restore railway connections to play a more active role in trade routes linking the eastern Mediterranean with the Gulf, Iraq, Syria and Türkiye.
Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny said they were working to increase the annual capacity of the Port of Beirut from approximately 1.2 million containers to 3 million. The capacity of the Port of Tripoli is also targeted to rise from approximately 300,000 containers to more than 1 million.
Ports will be connected to regional trade networks
Rasamny said the natural water depth at the ports of Beirut and Tripoli ranges between 15 and 16 meters. He said developments in maritime transport around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb had increased the importance of Lebanon’s ports and potential investments in them.
The Lebanese minister said it would not be enough for the ports to serve only domestic production and the local market. Rasamny said the economic opportunity lay particularly in transit transport and transshipment activities, adding that this required expanded capacity and connections to regional transport networks.
Railway line to extend through Syria
The plan to resume railway operations does not aim only to establish a connection between Lebanon and Syria. The project seeks to connect Lebanese ports through Syria’s railway network to regional lines extending to the Gulf countries, Iraq and Türkiye.
Rasamny said connecting the Port of Tripoli to the Al-Arida area on the Syrian border and from there to Syria’s railway network would facilitate freight transport. The minister said Lebanon’s existing roads would not be able to handle major increases in freight traffic and identified railways as one option for addressing the problem.
Lebanon-Syria route to be assessed on site
Rasamny said his meeting with Syria’s Minister of Public Works and Transport Yarub Badr during his visit to Damascus on August 25 had formed the basis for preparing a work plan and roadmap.
Lebanese and Syrian teams are expected to examine the railway route in the coming weeks, including the line between Tripoli and Al-Arida. After technical teams assess the current condition of the line and the technical aspects of the project on site, the two sides are expected to meet again to set the objectives for the next phase.
The Lebanese minister said the project was very large and that the Syrian side had a draft concerning the cost required to develop its railway network. He said work by Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport to rehabilitate the railway line between Tripoli and Aboudieh was expected to be completed in approximately two months.
Lebanon is counting on Ankara’s support
Rasamny said the expected economic benefits would not be achieved if the project remained limited to the Lebanon-Syria connection. He said connecting Lebanese and Syrian ports to networks extending to the Gulf, Iraq and Türkiye would increase investors’ interest in railway links.
Rasamny said Türkiye would be an important link in future regional transport networks because of its proximity to Europe, the Gulf and Syria, as well as its developed railway network. He added that they were counting on Ankara’s support in the process.
Rasamny also announced that he had been invited to make an official visit to Ankara. The minister said work was continuing to prepare the visit’s agenda and that other projects and issues would be addressed soon, alongside the transport project.
