The majestic Hijaz railway terminus in Damascus harks back to the - TopicsExpress

The majestic Hijaz railway terminus in Damascus harks back to the short-lived days when railroads criscrossed the Middle East; now, the wars shutdown of Syrias entire railway system is one more case of contracting horizons in a region where lost rail routes are a physical symbol of social and economic ties cut by proliferating borders and conflicts. Conflict has shelved plans to revive the station with new connections to an expanded commuter network; the hall now displays photos of destroyed stations and trains. A transport ministry employee there, Younes al-Nasr, 68, waxed nostalgic about his grandfather taking trains to Palestine to work, about his more recent trips to Iran and Europe along now impassable routes through northern Syria, about the train to Medina that stopped running after a brief heyday when Lawrence of Arabia et al blew up the tracks. With photos by Andrea Bruce.