Iranian Private Sector to Launch Rail Linkup With Iraq in 1 Month

The construction of a 32-kilometer-long Shalamcheh-Basra railroad, which will connect Iran and Iraq, is to start within a month using Iranian private sector investments, according to the deputy minister of roads and urban development, Mahmoud Ghaffari.
“Investments of up to €100 million are required to complete the project. The Iranian private sector will provide this amount and the funding and other requirements to start the project will be finalized and agreed upon by next week,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Wednesday.
Kheirollah Khademi, another deputy roads minister, says Iran is ready to implement the project in Iraq, expecting the Iraqi government to designate the land for the project to Iranian companies and contractors.