BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 2. In total, $200 million is expected to be spent on the Shalamcheh-Basra railway line in the Khorramshahr County of Iran’s Khuzestan Province, the construction of which began on September 2, 2023, Trend reports.
The mentioned railway line is being built to connect the railway lines of Iran and Iraq.
According to the report, first Vice President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber, Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani and other officials of the two countries attended the event dedicated to the construction of the railway line.
Shalamcheh town of Iran’s Khuzestan Province is located on the border with Iraq. The length of the railway line from this town to the Iraqi city of Basra will be approximately 32 km. A part of the railway line passes over the Arvand river, and it is planned to build a bridge over the river with a length of 800 meters. Due to a number of reasons, the construction of this railway line has not been possible to date.
According to the memorandum signed between the two countries on the construction of the Shalamcheh-Basra railway, construction work including, the railway bridge to be built over the Arvand river is expected to be completed within a total of 18-24 months.
The Iranian side states that it will be possible to transport 8-10 million tons of cargo and about 12 million passengers per year with the launch of the Shalamcheh-Basra railway line.
During the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), some territories on the border of the two countries were mined. Sixteen kilometers of the railway line should be cleared of mines.
The Iranian side is carrying out the clearing of mines. The infrastructure of the railway line and the alignment of the tracks will be carried out by Iraq. Iran will also build a railway bridge over the Arvand River.
---
Follow the author on Twitter:@BaghishovElnur