Feature: Baghdadis´ complex on its red double-deckers

Source: Xinhua | 05-12-2009 10:24

BAGHDAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Gone are those peaceful and prosperous time the metropolis of Baghdad in the heart of Middle East once enjoyed, what left instead are insecurities of clashes and explosions and a U.S. bombed left-over with near-paralyzed societal lives.

As violence ebbs, and society struggles to be back on track, public transportation in Baghdad that once paralyzed by U.S.-led invasion six years ago starts to run on roads. In particular, the red double-deckers that once shuttled busy Baghdadis reappeared in streets but still rare.

"Is this what the Americans want? How long it would take to remove all these concrete walls? I wonder what is to become of Baghdad? Would I live to see it reviving?" an old man muttered as he took a sightseeing tour on a red double-decker.

Khalaf Mohammad, 63, a retired man said, "I always ride in the upper story of the red bus because I usually not in hurry and I like to have a better look at the city that every day tells a different story about my injured city."

From 1960s till mid 1990s, the red double-deckers flourished in Baghdad, but later, the buses' service deteriorated by the UN sanctions. Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Baghdad red double-deckers largely disappeared, but Baghdadis have a complex upon the vehicle that represents the city's past glamour.