Iraq is planning to build 30 train stations for passengers and freight as part of a $17-billion project involving the construction of one of the Middle East’s longest rail lines, Iraq’s Transport Minister was reported on Wednesday as saying.

Razzak Al-Saadawi said the cabinet has approved the path of the 1,200-km rail and a parallel motorway stretching from the Southern Faw Port to the northern Border with Turkey.

In comments during the annual meeting in Baghdad of Iraq’s Ambassadors abroad, Saadawi said almost 50 percent of the rail and motorway designs have been completed.

“This is a very large project and very important for Iraq…large investments are involved in this project and along the path of the rail and motorway,” he said in remarks published by the official Iraqi News Agency.

“The project also includes the construction of 15 train stations for passengers and 15 others for freight in the 11 governorates through which the train and motorway pass.”

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

Subscribe to our Projects' PULSE newsletter that brings you trustworthy news, updates and insights on project activities, developments, and partnerships across sectors in the Middle East and Africa.