TEHRAN, Iran, Dec.10
Trend:
Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami expressed hope that the Shalamche-Basra railway project will be succesfully implemented, following recent collaborations between Iran's Foreign Ministry and the Iraqi government, Trend reports citing Ministry of Road and Urban Development website.
"The contractors and investors have been chosen and ready to start working," Eslami said.
"Iran has completed railway route to Shalamche border and has transported cargo to the border for the first time last month," he said.
"The remaining route from Shalamche to Basra is 35 kilometers. There are some obstacles in Iraq and hopefully they will be resolved soon and the operation of the railway will be fully launched," Eslami said.
"It has been expected that Shalamche – Basra railway would connect so Iraq could transit goods to Central Asia and north of the Caspian Sea ," he said.
Once finished, the Shalamcheh-Basra railway will link the transportation networks in three countries of Iran, Iraq and Syria, and the launch of the 32-kilometer railroad shall boost Iran's exports to Iraq.
The project has been delayed due to fail of Iraqi side to build the railroad on their side as well as due to economic problems and a shortage of funds.
The official also noted that Iran seeks to establish industries in its ports, aiming to attract investments from the Central Asia countries.