The Railroad Network

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A railway network would easily relieve urban congestion problems while developing neglected regions, which in turn will allow the free economical influx to spread throughout the nation’s territories encouraging enterprises to move to previously deserted zones. It will also afford each citizen the opportunity to invest in state-guaranteed ventures, namely that of building, together, a federative infrastructure that nurtures the idea of a National Conscience.
A modern railroad network is the logical corollary to economic development. Its absence has witnessed entire populations abandoning remote villages to migrate to already crowded cities, especially Beirut. This has led to the impoverishment of those regions, further stripping bare the remaining inhabitants in those deserted regions of any purchasing power.
Here too, opportunities for federative projects and sustainable decentralization exist, enabling future growth in regions that have been blatantly disregarded ever since Lebanon’s independence.
A railroad network has so many virtues for this country. At peak time, we lose about one hour a day shuttling
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from Rabiyeh to Beirut compared to the two-hour drive it takes to reach the capital from Byblos or Tyre. Transportation expenses including fuel and time are staggering, to say the least. Ironically, express transport by train from Tripoli or Tyre to Beirut would not only be covered in 20 minutes, but would cost a fraction of the current cost. New attitudes to commuting will undoubtedly lead to innovative business practices with outstanding outcomes, such as the relocation of people and businesses…
Currently, due to financial constraints, it is impossible for a young couple with a moderate income to settle in Beirut. The price of real estate is beyond the means of this demographic group. A railroad network, thanks to Lebanon’s small geographical size compared to regional and world standards, will cancel the distance factor. With the proposed railroad network, families with a modest income can relocate to just about any region they fancy, and in turn not only decrease their transportation expenses, but also eliminate the need to pay overpriced rents simply to be close to their work.
The same applies to companies and industries whose base of operations previously required them to cluster around harbours and strategic distribution networks to remain competitive. By settling in places that were formerly hard to reach and economically unviable,
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they would improve their profitability many times over. More importantly, they would allow room along the nation’s coastline for reconstructive developmental projects, more in tune with the country’s touristic potential.
Decades ago, the State turned the coastal landscape that unfolds from Batroun to Chekka into an industrial zone. At that time, the strategy made economic sense, as it helped factories to develop and facilitate access to the coast, a very much needed business doorway. With the proposed railroad network, this setup would become unnecessary as a more efficient means of transporting goods would enhance productivity, facilitate and cut distribution costs, as well as protect the invaluable landscape. Just consider the repercussions that established industries and power-generating stations have on traffic and the environment.
The construction of an express coastline railroad network would easily do away with this debacle, especially if linked to the main highways. Road and rail stations would be built in an integrated way to facilitate people’s commuting requirements. Better still, creating an elaborate train and automotive network system through the Sannin Mountain range would optimize and link the roads connecting the Bekaa and Hermel regions, making the relocation of industry
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production facilities in those areas increasingly profitable. Impoverished regions would be turned into lucrative spaces inviting its former inhabitants back to reap the benefits of the newly discovered national wealth opportunities.
Can one dream of a better federative project?
Plans for such a tunnel system already exist. The OCFTC (Office des Chemins de Fer et des Transports en Commun) owns two complete lines, the first, stretches from Tripoli to Nakoura and requires a complete overhaul. The second that goes from the Baidar Pass to Rayak, has got a narrow track and is obsolete. Both occupy a total area exceeding eight million square meters, which is mostly used as squatting ground. The freeing up of this internal territory and the railroad network plan are still a project in limbo awaiting pressure from the public opinion so as to be put into proper use, which is where CAGI comes into play.
As envisioned for the hydroelectric and solar energy plans, railroad financing can take effect through state/citizen joint initiatives with the involvement of the people through the promise of a sturdy financial return. Citizens from all communities, parties, and convictions involved in the project can become partners of a deeply federative plan encouraging
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economic progress. This is ideal in creating a collective national conscience. It is another strategic pillar in the foundation, along the five-year hydroelectric and solar panel scheme.
Having touched on the elements of WATER, AIR, and EARTH, we find ourselves left with a unifying force, namely MAN and the priority for education in all its forms, especially the civic kind.
WATER, AIR, EARTH AND MAN

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