Light at the end of the tunnel for Syria's war-ravaged railways

DAMASCUS - Abu Abdo eases himself into the driver's seat, itching to try out freshly laid train tracks between two suburbs of Syria's capital, Damascus.

"I've been waiting for this day for six years," the 42-year-old says, drumming excitedly on the train's control board.

He prepares for a test drive on a stretch of tracks leading from Qadam station - until May a pocket of Islamic State group resistance - to grounds hosting the annual Damascus International Fair.