Construction of $340m Baghdad-Basra railway to being soon

15/02/2012 13:03

BAGHDAD, Feb. 13 (AKnews) - Construction of a fast railway connection between Baghdad and Basra moves one step closer, as government discloses costs.

The Transportation Ministry has allocated $340m (4,000bn IQD) to lay down 600km of rail track between the two cities, and includes stops at Karbala, Moussayeb, Najaf, and Samawah.

The railway, through which trains will travel at 250km/h, will help facilitate the transport of goods between the not yet built $6bn (7tr IQD) Faw megaport in Basra, the Iraqi Capital and abroad.

The project will take a minimum of 12 months.

Earlier this month, the ministry announced it has started importing 14 trains from Turkey, each worth $1m (1.2bn IQD).

By Jaafar Wanan
Edited by Wafa Zangana
LH/SS/AKnews

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/290068/