KRG in talks with German company for Kurdish railway

Halgurd Sherwani 2021/07/15 12:10

The Kurdistan Region's provinces were connected to southern and central Iraq by train until the 1980s. (Photo: Iraqi Republic Railways Company)

Kurdistan Krg Germany Transportation Erbil Duhok Halabja Sulaimani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Erbil is in ongoing discussions with international companies on plans to build railway infrastructure across the Kurdistan Region, a top minister told Kurdistan 24.

A Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Construction and Housing delegation was in Berlin this week to discuss the project with German railway giant Deutsche Bahn, Minister Dana Abdul Kareem said.

The KRG is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Bahn next month, the minister said, describing the meeting as fruitful.

The railway would connect the Kurdistan Region’s four provinces – Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Halabja.

As the first step, the ministry is looking to sign a contract with an international company for a feasibility study. The study would examine economic and legal aspects of the project as well as scheduling, to determine the railway’s success.

Abdul Kareem said there would be fair competition for the tender.

A regional railway system is one of the objectives of the KRG’s ninth cabinet in order to facilitate goods and services across the Kurdistan Region, according to the minister.

The Kurdish provinces of Iraq were connected to the country’s south and center by rail until the 1980s, but a new railway system would be the first such project under the autonomous government.