All aboard at the Tameem Railway Station

Multi-National Forces-Iraq ^ | Polli Barnes Keller

[SandRat]

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region North

The rehabilitation and new construction at the Tameem Railway Station is part of a vision for the future of the country. Department of Defense photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region North.

KIRKUK -- Neglected and oppressed during the Saddam era, the citizens of Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk are now rising to rebuild their city and their country’s economy. With operations back on-line in the local oil fields, additional infrastructure preparation for further economic growth is underway.

The rehabilitation of the Tameem Railway Station illustrates just one case of economic initiative in progress. The restoration of the facility is part of a vision for the future of Iraq through the development of basic services and strategic infrastructure. An operating rail system will assist in generating an economic recovery within the region by efficiently transporting people and goods.

“After years of neglect of the highways and road network, the construction boom we are seeing today in Kirkuk and the need to transport fuel and oil products by road is straining the transportation system,” explainedMaj. Craig Guth, the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team engineer. “Rail is a much more efficient alternative and is necessary for Kirkuk’s continued future development.”

Renovations to the station - undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region North division - included the construction of many out buildings, as well as rehabilitation to the existing main structures. A direct link to the region’s high voltage electric grid was constructed and the lower floor of the station was rebuilt.

A view of the rail yard outside Kirkuk's Tameem Rail Station. Department of Defense photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region North.

The Corps of Engineers monitored all quality control activities to ensure the requirements of the contract were followed and construction met all quality standards.

In the past, during the Saddam regime, operational readiness and safety lapses were aggravated by a lack of maintenance. In the aftermath of the war, those problems were exacerbated by looting and ancillary damage that contributed to the station’s disrepair.

“This station previously was an asset to the Kirkuk province for importing and exporting commodities, transporting postal cargo service, oil, gas, etc between Northern and Southern Iraq,” said Joe Domingo, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project engineer.

Now, restoring the station and improving its ability to handle increasing demands for freight storage will help fulfill the vision of Iraq’s future by laying the foundation for a growth economy.

[SandRat]

[Dog Gone]

This story would give Willie Green a headache. Choo-choos good, war in Iraq bad.

But you had to have both.

[Pelham]

Willie is anti-choo-choo?

[Dog Gone]

LOL, not hardly. GO PAT GO was Pat Jr. with a railroad fetish.

I kind of miss the arguments we used to have.

[mdittmar]

Willie Green is still here?

I miss his uplifting posts;)

[Dog Gone]

No, he's gone. But judging from his posts at other forums, he still reads things here.

[Pelham]

It looks like he has been banned.

[truthkeeper]

Now there's a name I haven't seen around here in a long time...