Iranian President urges to speed up Iraq-Iran railway project

International (IraqiNews.com) Director of South Railway Abdolkarim Darvishzadeh said Thursday that President Hassan Rouhani has issued an order for acceleration of a project to connect Iran and Iraq through the Basra-Shalamcheh railway.Speaking in a press statement, Darvishzadeh said that the inauguration of this project will play a key role in enhancing Tehran-Baghdad trade.Following the preliminary agreements between officials from Iran and Iraq, the Basra-Shalamcheh railway was constructed 15 kilometers up to the Iraqi border.In order to be completed, the railway needs 37 kilometers more construction work and a 700 meter long bridge to be constructed.Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi said on Dec. 12 that connecting national railway network to neighboring countries is on the agenda of the Iranian government.Akhoundi said that in addition to efforts to connect Iran’s railway to Iraq, the Iranian government is planning to extend the domestic Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway to the Republic of Azerbaijan.He said that development of border roads is the physical translation of the government’s policy of interaction with the world.Presidents of Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan on Dec. 3 inaugurated a railway connecting the three countries – known as East Caspian Sea Corridor – which is expected to bring prosperity to the region. /End/