The foundation stone for the Basra – Shalamcheh railway project was laid on Saturday, the 2nd of September, at the Shalamcheh border crossing in Basra Governorate, signifying the beginning of a crucial connection between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
PM Al-Sudani noted the importance of this link for transporting passengers and pilgrims to holy sites from both Iran and Central Asian countries, according to an announcement from the Iraqi ministry. Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was present at the ceremony. After numerous years of consultation, both nations officially approved this project in 2021.
A substantial number of Iranians who go to the holy shrines in Iraq every year are estimated to be from 3-4 million people. This is only the number of Iranians, not the number of global visitors. The passageway through Shalamcheh only permits 700,000 of these visitors, resulting in traffic congestion and accidents on the roads. Thus, traveling by Railway could avoid such issues and make it safer for pilgrims.
In addition, the Iraqi minister highlighted the importance of improving Iraq's economic infrastructure and promoting growth. Although the railway line will be for passengers only, the Iraqi ministry also states the railway should provide opportunities for development after the completion of the Grand Faw Port, the largest Middle East port under construction on the coast of Iraq at the Persian Gulf.
"We look forward to an infrastructure that will simplify the entry process for visitors in the coming years as their numbers grow and reduce traffic accidents and congestion on the roads." "Railways remain the most economical, cheapest, and safest transportation method." Unless railways are a part of the supporting structure of any economy, no economy in the world has positive indicators of growth".
The Iraqy ministry has announced that the total length of the rail project with Iran is 36 kilometers, featuring 4 stations devoted solely to passenger transportation. An MoU between the Iraqi Republic Railways Company and the Iranian Railways Company was signed in May this year, and it is estimated that it will take 18 months to complete the railway link. The plan for the near future is to extend these connections to Najaf and Karbala's holy sites.
Over the past decades, relations between the two Arabic countries have improved dramatically since the end of Iraq's war in 1988. Both are primarily Shiite Muslim nations with sizeable Kurdish populations, with approximately 1600km of shared border witnessing around ten million crossings a year. It is estimated that many of these crossers are Iranian pilgrims traveling to two sites of enormous reverence within Shiite Islam - Karbala and Najaf.
The country is also developing a new railway link to Turkey, starting in Basra in the south. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, the project has the potential to be the new Silk Road of our region, connecting the new Grand Faw port to the Turkish port of Mersin.
