Iraqi cabinet agrees to carry out Baghdad Metro Project
A construction worker stands in an underground MRT system tunnel in Jakarta on Sept 20, 2022. Photo: Reuters
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Council of Ministers agreed on Tuesday to include the design and supervision of the Baghdad Metro Project in the investment budget of Baghdad Municipality for 2023.
A statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) mentioned that the step comes as part of the instructions of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to proceed with delayed projects, including Baghdad Metro.
The project will cost approximately 913.8 billion Iraqi dinars (around $696.6 million).
The Prime Minister’s advisor for transport, Nassir Al-Assadi, told the Iraqi News Agency last month that the project was postponed for several years because of security and budgetary concerns.
Al-Assadi elaborated that the project is part of a development plan for the capital, which hasn’t been developed or improved in the past 50 years.
The project will play an important role in reducing the capital’s enduring traffic congestion.
Iraqi officials said in 2022 that the project would be awarded to Alstom of France and the South Korean company Hyundai, according to Zawya News.
Baghdad Metro is expected to cover around 80 percent of the capital area.