ERBIL : Iranian technicians and engineers are due to complete the Shalamcheh – Basra railway with a plan to eventually connect it to Syria’s Lattakia port, an official in the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (RAI) said on Sunday.
“Since the Iraqis have stated that they cannot afford construction of the railway to Basra, the railway was decided to receive Iran’s financing which will be paid back by the Iraqi side later,” Deputy Head of RAI for Infrastructure and Technical Affairs Maziyar Yazdani said, quoted by Iranian Fars news agency.
He mentioned that the railway will link Shalamcheh in Iran to Iraq’s southern province of Basra and then to Lattakia port in northwestern Syria, stating that it would result in a major boost in transit of goods between Iran and Syria.
