Confusion Surrounds The Railway Link With Iran.. What Is The Future Of Iraqi Ports?
2023-09-06 Shafaq News/ The move of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia'a al-Sudani, to lay the foundation stone for the first rail link project between Iraq and Iran, raised questions about the status of Iraqi ports after the completion of the project.
During the laying of the foundation stone for the railway link project between the Iranian region of Shalamja and the Iraqi city of Basra, last Saturday, (September 2, 2023), Al-Sudani spoke in the presence of the Iranian Vice President, Muhammad Mokhber, about the importance of the project in transporting travelers and visitors to the holy shrines from Iran and the countries of Central Asia, as well as On its importance in strengthening the infrastructure of the Iraqi economy.
Despite their agreement on the importance of the project and its impact on strengthening bilateral relations, the Iranian official said that it would lead to a "huge leap in trade exchange with Iraq," while the latter believes that its goal does not exceed the transportation of passengers between the two countries. In this context, the former Iraqi Minister of Transport, the current MP, Amer Abdul-Jabbar, considered the claim (the Iraqi side) a mere "lie" because the agreement to establish the line does not limit this goal, and because the axial load of the line's loads is about twice the axial load if the line was dedicated to transporting travelers only. Abdul-Jabbar added, in a video clip he posted on his official page on the "X" website (formerly Twitter) last Saturday, (September 2, 2023) that "laying the foundation stone while the citizens were preoccupied with the Arbaeen visit is intended," describing the railway link between Iraq and Iran as "a bullet of mercy." at the port of Al-Faw. An invitation to reveal the people Dr. Ghazi Al-Rubaie, a researcher and specialist in rivers, waters and international borders, points out that "the rail link, if it is for people, then this will not affect the ports of Iraq. However, the Iranian side mentioned that the project is linked to the Mediterranean Sea, and to the growth of trade with Iraq, and this is fatal to the ports of Iraq." Especially the large port of Faw, which has not yet been completed. During his speech to Shafaq News agency, Al-Rubaie calls on the Iraqi government to publish the agreement to clarify the goal of the project and reveal to the people. Project goals The railway link is "a national project that supports the Iraqi economy and the well-being of citizens and visitors by moving to the holy places in (Baghdad, Karbala, Samarra, and Najaf), away from public streets and roadblocks, and in order to preserve the lives lost as a result of traffic accidents," according to what the Prime Minister's advisor for transportation said. Dr. Nasser Saleh Al-Asadi. Regarding the impact of the railway link on the Iraqi ports, Al-Asadi confirms to Shafaq News agency, "The railway link now is for the transport of passengers only and not for commercial transportation, so it will not affect the Iraqi ports at all, because there are price policies that the competent authorities will set according to the nature of the use of the ports, whether they are land, air or sea.” He continued, "As for the ports of Faw and Umm Qasr, they are for commercial transport only, and not for transporting passengers, so there is a big difference in the process of using the two ports, and even if commercial transport takes place, the prices will not be the same as those in the ports, as the port privileges that the railway link will not be able to achieve." Therefore, this project is completely different from what is in the port of Faw. Project benefits The idea of working on the railway link project between Shalamcheh and Basra dates back to 2009, according to the head of the Transport and Communications Committee in the Iraqi parliament, Zahra al-Bajari, agreeing with what Nasser Saleh al-Asadi said that the project is “for the purpose of transporting passengers only and not for transporting goods, and it has no impact on the two ports of Faw.” And the mother of the palace of the marines who are specialized in transporting goods without passengers. Al-Bajari explained to Shafaq News agency, "The project has economic returns, as it will reduce the use of buses and at the same time transport huge numbers of passengers, so it will contribute to reducing congestion that occurs at the border crossings during religious visits, especially from Shalamcheh."
