One of Tunisia's great export industries depends on a railway, and a region, that the country let decline.
Phosphate was once among Tunisia's proudest exports, and the basin around Gafsa in the south still holds the reserves. Years of strikes, underinvestment and a crumbling rail link cut output far below potential, turning a national asset into a chronic disappointment.
Reviving it is part engineering and part politics. The line that carries the rock to port needs rebuilding, and the towns that depend on the industry need reasons to believe their grievances are heard. Neither is quick, and both have defeated previous plans.
If the south's rail and mines can be brought back, the prize is real: hard currency, jobs in a neglected region, and a reminder that Tunisia can still make and ship things. The repair is a test of whether the state can deliver beyond the coast.
