Following Syria’s broken tracks from Baniyas to Aleppo
Baniyas, Syria — On a sunny February morning, a long screech of locomotive brakes marks the start of the day at Baniyas Refinery, Syria’s largest
Baniyas, Syria — On a sunny February morning, a long screech of locomotive brakes marks the start of the day at Baniyas Refinery, Syria’s largest oil-refining plant. It is one of the last functioning arteries of the country’s fuel network. Men in helmets stand on a platform above the train, filling tanker cars with fuel as supervisors from the Syrian Petroleum Company look on - both the refinery staff and the rail workers are vital for keeping post-war Syria powered. Baniyas, a coastal city of 40,000 on Syria’s Mediterranean shore near the port cities of Tartous and Latakia, is one of the country’s main logistical hubs.
Hussam Hassan, head of train-filling operations for the past three years, has worked at the refinery since 2002. Now in his forties, Hassan has witnessed the collapse of his workplace both during the Syrian civil war, which started in 2011, and its renaissance in December 2024, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. “Since the regime fell, activity has really picked up, increasing train frequencies,” he says. “On good days, two or three trains exit the refinery after being filled and head towards Homs or Aleppo.” He explains how important their work is.
“For workers here, the job is not just routine; it is an essential step to keeping the country supplied with energy. Without these cargoes, it would be much more difficult to supply power plants across the country, as everything would be done by truck.” Much of the system no longer functions as it once did. Vegetation creeps over tracks, and old passenger wagons sit rusting. Even the rusty orange tankers being filled look outdated. None of this will stop today’s convoy, destined for the Aleppo Thermal Power Plant, 20km east of the city.
The load consists of a 170-meter-long caravan of 12 tanker-wagons carrying 5,000 tonnes of much-needed fuel oil, with one blue locomotive pulling it all. Hassan is not concerned by the train’s fate once it leaves the refinery, and he has never been on the journey himself. When asked how long it will take, he points to estimates: “15 to 35 hours”.
The BriefWire