Iraq’s Transport Ministry unveiled yesterday the country’s first-ever 40 km double-track railway line,according to a ministry statement. The railway line runs from the southern outskirts of Baghdad to the Musayyib district. The ministry worked to complete construction before the beginning of the Arba’een Pilgrimage, which begins next week, Transport Minister Razzak Saadawi said.

In detail: The line includes one stretch from Mahmoudia-Alexandria, while the second section starts from Alexandria and runs to Al Musayyib.

The dual track concept is going to be replicated across Iraq once the project is complete, the statement says. The ministry is looking to double all railway transport lines in the country and implement new systems, including signaling and electronic control systems.

This isn’t the only railway project Iraq is working on: Iraq is set to ink bilateral agreements with Turkey in the upcoming period for the construction of 133 km of rail which will connect Grand Faw Port in Iraq’s southern Basra province to Turkey through rail and road infrastructure. The project — which was launched back in May — is set to see completion in 2028. The project was launched back in May, with prospects to involve high-speed trains that can transport goods and passengers at speeds up to 300 km per hour. Iraq also inked an MoU with Iran to complete the Shalamcheh-Basra railway.

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