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Iraq is planning to build 15 industrial cities along its 1,200-km Development Road, which involves the construction of a $17 billion multi-modal transport corridor stretching from the Faw Port to the northern border with Turkey, said a senior official.
“The Development Road will include the construction of 15 stations in most governorates…each station will have an industrial city,” said Anas Abdul Majeed, Chairman of Iraq’s Industrial Cities Authority, according to Iraq’s media.
He said large investments are expected to be pumped into those cities given their strategic locations along the Development Road.
In September, a Transport Ministry official said the project will include a high-speed railway set to begin operations in 2031, carrying nearly 13.8 million passengers annually.
The UAE, Qatar, and Turkey are Iraq’s partners in the project, which involves the construction of rail lines and a parallel motorway.
In July, Maytham Al-Safi, Director of Relations and Media for the Ministry of Transport, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the project will integrate three existing major airports—Baghdad, Basra, and Najaf—and will connect to three new airports slated to enter service: Nasiriyah, Karbalaa, and the recently opened Mosul Airport.
Officials said this year they would import scores of trains for the Development Road, including high speed locomotives.
(Writing by N Saeed; Editing by Sona Nambiar)
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