Iraq keeps moving forward with Iraq’s Development Road project. The plan will link Basra to Turkey by a new railway and highway. Italian consultant Uido Bonini said the project will create 150,000 jobs and support Iraq’s economy.
Bonini works with BTB, the Italian firm helping Iraq’s Railways Authority. He said the project connects Basra with many provinces. The route passes Dhi Qar, Diwaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Samarra, Tikrit, and Mosul. It will end at the Turkish border.
The project will build a high-speed railway and an international highway. Trains will move up to 300 kilometers per hour. Travel between Basra and Baghdad will take only 90 minutes. The road will help move goods and people faster across the country.
Iraq’s Development Road project will link Umm Qasr Port in the south with Turkey in the north. It will make Iraq a main trade route between the Gulf and Europe. The plan will help trade grow and attract new investments.
Bonini said BTB has finished about 70 percent of the technical designs. The rest will finish soon. The company will send the final report to Iraq’s Ministry of Transport. After that, the ministry will open bids for global companies.
Many countries want to join the project. Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman already showed interest. Saudi Arabia may also join later. The project will also build new industrial and economic zones along the route. Each province will focus on what it does best. Basra will grow petrochemical industries. Najaf and Karbala will build agriculture factories.
By 2050, Iraq plans to finish all phases of Iraq’s Development Road project. It will make jobs, improve travel, and connect Iraq to Europe. The new network will turn Iraq into a center for regional trade.