Iraq to purchase 50 new trains for the Development Road’s railways
A train in Iraq. Photo: Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Transport revealed on Monday that the government has authorized a proposal to purchase 50 new trains from foreign manufacturers to service a 1,200-kilometer railway that is currently under construction.
The information director at the Iraqi Transport Ministry, Maytham Safi, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that 66 percent of the design studies for the project known as the Development Road have been finished and the path of the railway has been chosen.
The Development Road is the name given by the Iraqi government to what was known as the dry canal that connects the Al-Faw Grand Port in southern Iraq with the Turkish territories through railway networks and roads.
The Development Road includes a railway where trains will pass through 10 Iraqi governorates.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani, stated earlier that the Development Road represents a global corridor to transport goods and energy.
Al-Sudni illustrated that the project includes a railway to transport goods, with a capacity of 3.5 million tons in its first phase that will be increased to 7.5 million tons in the second phase.
The Iraqi Prime Minister elaborated that the project will also include a highway for land transport and pipelines to transport energy, in addition to the Al-Faw Grand Port and the industrial city expected to be one of the largest in the Middle East.
The project will generate many job opportunities for Iraq and the countries of the region, as well as opportunities for industries and businessmen, and it will be a center attracting global trade.
Many Arab, regional, and European countries have expressed their willingness to participate in Iraq’s Development Road project, either by pumping in investments or taking part in the construction works, as it constitutes an important link between Asia and Europe.
The value of the project is estimated at $17 billion. It will connect the Al-Faw Grand Port in southern Iraq to the border with Turkey by extending a railway and road network.
The project is expected to turn the country into a transit center by shortening the travel time between Asia and Europe in an attempt to compete with Egypt’s Suez Canal.