Don't be put off by the sign, which reads "Cent al B ghd d Stat on." And don't worry about the gun-toting men who emerge from the dark and board the train as it sits in predawn silence at the huge, domed station that has seen grander days. They're there to protect passengers riding Baghdad's first commuter train, an experiment in urban renewal in a city as broken as the rusted station sign but struggling to pull itself together. Since the commuter train service began about a month ago, ridership has been spotty. Few people seem to know it exists. After all, who would imagine such a thing in Baghdad, where going from one end of town to another was, not that long ago, an invitation to be killed? But the Ministry of Transportation wanted to relieve Iraqis of the chaos of Baghdad's streets, where checkpoints, speeding convoys and almost daily bombings cause massive traffic tie-ups. Thus was born the Baghdad Metro, as the men who gather for each day's 5:30 a.m. departure have dubbed the service. "If this succeeds, I think they'll open more lines inside Baghdad," says Thafir Salim, the engineer on the route, which leaves the main station and weaves about 15 miles through west and south Baghdad on just two round-trip journeys a day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
And don't worry about the gun-toting men who emerge from the dark and board the train as it sits in predawn silence at the huge, domed station that has seen grander days.
They're there to protect passengers riding Baghdad's first commuter train, an experiment in urban renewal in a city as broken as the rusted station sign but struggling to pull itself together.
Since the commuter train service began about a month ago, ridership has been spotty. Few people seem to know it exists. After all, who would imagine such a thing in Baghdad, where going from one end of town to another was, not that long ago, an invitation to be killed?
But the Ministry of Transportation wanted to relieve Iraqis of the chaos of Baghdad's streets, where checkpoints, speeding convoys and almost daily bombings cause massive traffic tie-ups. Thus was born the Baghdad Metro, as the men who gather for each day's 5:30 a.m. departure have dubbed the service.
"If this succeeds, I think they'll open more lines inside Baghdad," says Thafir Salim, the engineer on the route, which leaves the main station and weaves about 15 miles through west and south Baghdad on just two round-trip journeys a day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
The MTA's doomsday budget will wipe out the W line, zap the Z line and ax more than 1,500 NYC Transit jobs, the Daily News has learned. The list of bus and subway cuts the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will unveil at its monthly board meeting Thursday is extensive and potentially bruising, sources said. Riders can expect longer waits, more-crowded rides and having to make additional transfers to get to their destinations if the draconian moves are put into effect.
The list of bus and subway cuts the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will unveil at its monthly board meeting Thursday is extensive and potentially bruising, sources said.
Riders can expect longer waits, more-crowded rides and having to make additional transfers to get to their destinations if the draconian moves are put into effect.
Is this the richest country? Are these the richest times?
The first time they discussed it, the Great Depression hit. The second time they actually started digging, but then the city became insolvent. This is the third time.
A year ago it would have been unthinkable. After all it was a city where driving to work became a life or death decision and where residents were cooped in enclaves amid murder and mayhem. But yesterday the mayor of Baghdad surprised everyone by announcing plans for an underground train network that will literally carve a swathe through the city's sectarian lines. If investors sign up, the world's most violent capital will soon have a $3bn (£2bn) metro. Sabir al-Issawi, Baghdad's mayor, said money had been set aside in next year's budget for a feasibility study.
But yesterday the mayor of Baghdad surprised everyone by announcing plans for an underground train network that will literally carve a swathe through the city's sectarian lines.
If investors sign up, the world's most violent capital will soon have a $3bn (£2bn) metro. Sabir al-Issawi, Baghdad's mayor, said money had been set aside in next year's budget for a feasibility study.
Not the first time this has been proposed for Baghdad.
A train line under Baghdad was first flagged under Saddam Hussein during the 1970s, but shelved owing to three decades of war, blockades and invasion... The project's engineer Atta Nabil Hussain Auni Atta, of Iraq's transport ministry, said old 1970s blueprints for the underground line were being redrawn to bring it up to speed with the specifications of modern railways. "This is one of Baghdad's most important projects and we hope that investors will join it," he said. "We have called for tenders from them and we have some money to contribute from the government. We are planning to start work as early as next year.
The project's engineer Atta Nabil Hussain Auni Atta, of Iraq's transport ministry, said old 1970s blueprints for the underground line were being redrawn to bring it up to speed with the specifications of modern railways.
"This is one of Baghdad's most important projects and we hope that investors will join it," he said. "We have called for tenders from them and we have some money to contribute from the government. We are planning to start work as early as next year.
The one in Bulgaria has so far seen a budget allocated at least twice, the money disappears and nothing gets done. Nothing will ever get done until the EU removes the mafia from office. keep to the Fen Causeway
