The First Railway Connecting Iraq-Iran Is Targeted To Be Completed In The Next 18 Months

JAKARTA - If there are no obstacles, the first train line connecting Iraq and its neighbor Iran will be completed within the next 18 months.

One of the goals of the construction of this railway line is to facilitate the transportation of millions of pilgrims to Shia holy places in Iraq, a senior Iraqi official said.

The 30-kilometer-long line (18.64 miles) will stretch between the City of Basra in southern Iraq and the City of Shalamja.

The laying of the first stone for the railway line was carried out by Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, reported by Iran Front Page.

The two top officials met when inaugurating the Palamcheh-Basra railway line construction project earlier last month.

Speaking at the ceremony, the two top officials discussed bilateral cooperation and highlighted the importance of the project, before launching executive operations for the construction of a rail project.

Iran is responsible for the removal of mines and the construction of a bridge over the Arvand River in Basra. Meanwhile, Iraq is responsible for handling substructure and sidewalk work for the entire project.

Mokhber described the Palamcheh-Basra railway line as a "strategic plan" for Iran and Iraq that would change the West Asian region.

"We will see the train moving in about 18 months because of its close proximity," Nasser Al-Asadi, Iraqi Prime Minister's transportation adviser to Reuters.

He further said the government was also planning a metro route between Karbala and Najaf, the center of Iraqi Shia clerics.

Asadi said work was underway to clean up the area before land work on the railway line could begin.

He added that the railway line would reduce the risk of accidents and allow Iraq to gain financial benefits from ticket sales.