Lebanon Trains

Rayak train station, in Lebanon's Bekaa region, was built in 1891 and played a major role in developing the area. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

In its prime, Rayak was one of the most important stations in a rail network that spanned three continents. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

Though sometimes guarded, many of the stations are visited by sightseers or locals who are curious about what lies within. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

There are 408 km of tracks in Lebanon. Many, like these running through a Beirut neighborhood, are hiding in plain sight. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

Tripoli train station, as a number of the other biggest stations left in Lebanon, is guarded by members of the country's Rail Authority. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

There are a number of rare trains housed in Lebanon's train stations. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

Weakened by the increased use of cars, the train lines in Lebanon were mainly killed off by the start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

A photo from the archives of NGO TrainTrain.

Elias Maalouf is founder of TrainTrain, which campaigns for the restoration of train lines in Lebanon. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

Congestion has reached a crisis point in Lebanon, especially around and within Beirut. Some see trains as the answer. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

Maya Alameddine, a photojournalist who lives in Lebanon's second-largest city of Tripoli. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)

Graffiti is seen at the Rail Authority's Beirut headquarters in what used to be a train station. (Photo - J. Owens/VOA)