Reforming Transport Infrastructure in Syria: A Long and Complex Path Marked by Urgent Priorities
Executive Summary:
This report aims to present a comprehensive chronological overview of the crises affecting Syria’s transport sector across its four components: road, maritime, air, and rail transport. It begins by highlighting decades of governmental neglect and entrenched institutional corruption that gradually degraded transport infrastructure to catastrophic levels, resulting in substantial human and material losses due to traffic accidents, disruptions to supply chains, increased costs, and pervasive safety risks.
The report first examines the state of the transport sector prior to 2011. The road network suffered from deteriorating infrastructure and high accident rates owing to the failure to upgrade and rehabilitate roads in line with international standards. Syrian ports were hindered by weak performance caused by complex bureaucratic procedures and outdated loading and unloading equipment, in addition to the control of several ports by figures closely associated with the Assad regime. Air transport was affected by the aging of the national fleet and airport facilities, largely as a result of Western sanctions that prevented the government at the time from acquiring modern equipment. The railway sector likewise suffered from obsolete infrastructure and a lack of modernization.
The report then reviews the impact of the war after 2011 on the transport sector. Roads and bridges were deliberately targeted by the Assad regime and other warring parties, further accelerating infrastructure deterioration. Roads, ports, and airports were transformed into militarized zones filled with security checkpoints, significantly increasing travel time and costs. The number of ships heading to Syria declined sharply, railway operations came to a halt, and Syrian airports lost more than 80 percent of their activity due to their conversion into military and smuggling hubs, repeated Israeli airstrikes, and Syria’s international isolation.
In the post–Assad regime phase, the report notes the persistence of many transport-related crises despite ongoing efforts to improve conditions. Some roads continue to claim dozens of lives annually because of poor infrastructure, and airport activity remains limited. At the same time, the report highlights several positive developments, including the gradual return of activity to seaports and railways, the signing of multiple agreements to upgrade airports, ports, and trains, and the implementation of numerous projects to rehabilitate urban road networks.
Finally, the report puts forward a set of recommendations addressed to relevant authorities. Key among these are conducting systematic analyses of road networks and prioritizing accident-prone locations; establishing ambulance points along major highways; employing modern technologies in road planning; equipping roads with traffic-safety tools; and tightening penalties for traffic violations.
With regard to maritime transport, the report recommends simplifying bureaucratic procedures, concluding agreements to activate transit trade, and developing a comprehensive plan to integrate maritime transport with road and rail networks in order to enhance efficiency and reduce costs and time.
In the railway sector, it calls for a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate existing lines and construct new ones that provide an affordable option for intercity passenger transport, reduce road congestion, and lower domestic freight costs.
Lastly, in the air transport sector, the report recommends taking advantage of the lifting of U.S. sanctions to improve the Syrian fleet through the purchase of new aircraft or spare parts to repair grounded planes, replacing outdated technological systems in airports with modern equipment that meets international standards, and ensuring transparency and integrity in recently signed airport construction and rehabilitation contracts.
To read the full report click here (Arabic)
بكالوريوس في قسم الفلك وعلوم الفضاء من جامعة أنقرة، مهتم بالشأن التركي وعلاقته بقضايا اللاجئين السوريين، ونشر وشارك في إعداد عدد من التقارير والمقالات حول هذا الموضوع ضمن الوحدة المجتمعية في مركز الحوار السوري
