Aleppo railway station
محطة قطار حلب
General information
LocationMahattet Baghdad Street, Gare de Baghdad district, Aleppo, Syria
Coordinates36°12′50″N 37°8′52″E / 36.21389°N 37.14778°E / 36.21389; 37.14778
Owned byChemins de Fer Syriens
Line(s)Berlin–Baghdad railway
History
Opened1912; 112 years ago (1912)
Rebuilt2017–2021

Aleppo railway station (Arabic: محطة قطار حلب) more commonly Gare de Baghdad (Arabic: محطة بغداد), is the 2nd oldest railway station in Syria and the main station of the city of Aleppo. It was opened in 1912 as part of the Berlin–Baghdad railway.[1] The first ever trip from the station was towards the town of Jarabulus.

History

The Baghdad railway station was built in 1912 by German engineers as part of the Berlin Baghdad line, thus the railway had reached Aleppo with the branch to Tripoli, by the start of World War I; and onwards to Nusaybin by October 1918.[1]

The Turks, who sided with Germany and the Central Powers, decided to recover the infrastructure south of Aleppo to Lebanon in 1917. The Baghdad Railway created opportunity and problems for both sides, being unfinished but running just south of the then defined Syrian–Turkish border.[2]

Post war, the border was redrawn, and the railway was now north of the border. From 1922 the Baghdad Railway was worked in succession by two French companies, who were liquidated in 1933 when the border was again redrawn, placing the Baghdad Railway section again in Syrian control.[1]

A poster advertising the Simplon Orient Express, whose route ended in Aleppo (1930s).

As a result, a new agreement was achieved between the French controlled Syria and the Ottoman Sham-Hama Railway Company (the operator of Damascus Railway) to put the Aleppo Railway under the management of the company for 15 years. As a result, the Aleppo railway line was connected with Damascus.

During the 1940s, after the independence of Syria from the French mandate, the management agreement was expired and the Syrian government itself took over the administration of the Aleppo Railway with the establishment of the new Syrian Railway Company at the end of the 1940s.[3]

In 1956, the Syrian government decided to purchase the shares of the Sham-Hama Railway Company in Syria. As a result, all railways in Syria were nationalised and operated under one administration. Later, starting from 1 January 1965, the Syrian Railway was reorganised as Chemins de Fer Syriens (CFS), headquartered in Aleppo.

Main hall of the Aleppo Railway Station in 2010

Until 2011, the Aleppo railway station was connected with Damascus, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Qamishly and Deir ez-Zor with daily trips. In 2012, the rail traffic was stopped because of the Syrian civil war.[4] On 25 January 2017, train services resumed in Aleppo for the first time in four years, once again making the station operational.[5] Reconstruction of the Damascus-Aleppo railway line was started in 2020, after its completion and securing rail transport will be resumed.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Arjan den Boer (22 June 2019). "Three Continent TrainThe Taurus Express to Iraq and Egypt". retours.eu. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  2. ^ Hugh Hughes. "Middle East Railways". almashriq.hiof.no. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  3. ^ Baghdad Station of Aleppo
  4. ^ "First train trip in Aleppo sets off after 4 years stop". Syrian Arab News Agency. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  5. ^ Deutsche Welle: "Aleppo: First train ride in years", 13.03.2017, (Video: 1 min 27 sec)
  6. ^ Hybah Sleman / Hazem Sabbagh (24 February 2020). "General Establishment of Railways: Aleppo-Damascus railway to be put into service in May". Syrian Arab News Agency. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
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