Take the A train to Sadr City

In an unexpected and inspired move yesterday, Baghdad's mayor, Sabir al-Issawi, announced that he would be bringing a metro system to his city.

Plans for the train line, which were first drafted under Saddam Hussein in the '70s but shelved in the early '80s because of the conflict with Iran, will need to be remapped and modernized. Atta Nabil Hussain Auni Atta, an engineer with the transport ministry, said they are planning to start work as "early as next year."

The metro will cover 24 miles, have 20 stations, and will consist of two lines. The first is said to begin in Shiite Sadr City and run up north to the mostly Sunni section of Adhamiyah. The second line is set to begin in the south, run through the commercial area Karrada, cross the Tigris River and end in Sunni West Baghdad .

The government is ponying up some big change for the project, apparently having already set aside three billion dollars. Global companies have been invited to bid on the project.

Since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 transportation (and traffic) in Baghdad has bee a nightmare. In addition to the swath of road known as "bomb alley" there are now securtiy walls, check points, and road and bridge closings.

Many are skeptical about this new proposal. Baghdad's new commuter train, which kicked off this past October and is the first of its kind in the city, is said to be "struggling" and "ridership has been spotty."

But even in a city still recovering and rebuilding basic infrastructure -- electricity, sewer systems, postal service -- such grand plans have many waxing hopeful about Baghdad's future.

(Hat tip: The Daily Beast)