PHOTO
Iraq is planning to realign the Kirkuk segment of the Baghdad-Kirkuk-Sulaymaniyah railway line.
Abdul-Zahra Al-Hindawi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Planning said the realignment was discussed during a meeting involving representatives from Ministries of Planning, Transport, Oil, Municipalities, Public Works and the company working on the new design of the railway line for the city of Kirkuk.
He quoted the Director-General of the Department of Regional and Local Development in the planning ministry, R Muhammad Mohsen Al-Sayed, as saying that current alignment cuts through the centre of Kirkuk city, and high-value land parcels, adding that Kirkuk city’s urban design has been updated to provide housing for a rapidly growing population.
Al Sayed said the current alignment of the railway negatively impacts the city and stressed the need for viable alternatives while noting that existing Kirkuk station will remain in the city.
Al-Hindawi said the railway network will also be extended from Kirkuk to Erbil and Mosul.
The differences between the existing and new alignments and the challenge of land acquisition for the new alignment were also discussed during the meeting, Al-Hindawi said.
(Reporting by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)
© ZAWYA 2022
