Damascus, Aug.6 ( SANA)Transport Minister,Yarub Badr, discussed withDr. Dahlia Khalifa, the newly-appointedWorld Bankdirector for the Middle East, and the accompanying delegation ways to enhance cooperation in the transport sector and supporting projects aimed at rehabilitating and developing Syria’s transport and railwayinfrastructure.

The meeting, held Thursday at the Ministry’s headquarters in Damascus, addressed a proposal by (CMA CGM) company to conduct a study on transporting containers by rail from the Latakia Port container terminal to the dry ports in Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus, along with exploring the possibility of developing a public private partnership to implement the project.

Both sides also discussed highway projects under the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) system, as well as the potential review of previous feasibility studies and the assessment of implementation opportunities.

Minister Badr emphasized the importance of the transport sector in supporting economic recovery and strengthening connectivity with neighboring countries.

He noted that the ministry is working on formulating a national policy for developing sustainable, multimodal land transport, in addition to a vision for advancing the railway sector.

Badr added that the Syrian government has allocated an amount from its budget to rehabilitate key railway roads, particularly the road extending from the Jordanian border through Damascus, Homs, and Hama to Aleppo and the Turkish border, as well as the Damascus–Tanf–Deir Ezzor corridor.

He noted that the cost of rehabilitating major roads is estimated at $300–500 million, highlighting that international tenders have been announced and bids from companies in several countries have been received and are currently under evaluation ahead of implementation.

For her part, Khalifa affirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting Syria in developing a multimodal transport system through cooperation with the Ministry of Transport to prepare the railway project.