High-speed Baghdad-Basra rail line complete

Iraq's state-owned railways company recently announced the completion of a new high-speed rail line between Baghdad and Basra which will connect Iraq's central and southern provinces.

The new line, known as the Southern Rail Line, runs for about 600 kilometres, and will be used for the transport of passengers and goods. It replaces the previous rail line, which has become obsolete, said company officials.

The new rail line has double tracks in both directions and a modern design that enables it to operate high-speed trains that can travel at up to 125 kilometres per hour, said company project director Mohammad Ali Hashim.

With the new railway network, "the company is trying to provide better services to citizens, as well as to government and private companies and institutions", company media director Abdul Sattar Muhsin told Mawtani. In addition to carrying passengers, the new line will transport oil products and various light and heavy equipment and machinery, he said.

The high-speed Southern Rail line "will introduce a qualitative leap in the field of rail transport in the country, which will enable us to keep pace with the world progress in this field", he said.