Turkey & Iraq Announce $17 Billion Rail & Road Plan

Iraq has reportedly begun the process of implementing a massive US$17 billion rail and road link with Turkey, according to a government official.

The link, which is known as the “Development Road”, aims to promote trade between Iraq, Turkey and continental Europe.

Iraqi Transport Ministry Spokesperson Shada Radi said: “We have just started practical measures to launch this major project.

"The measures include soil surveying for the path of the rail and the road as well as the launching of a project headquarters at the Ministry to oversee the execution of the project.”

The Development Road is slated to begin Faw Port in Iraq, a new port which is presently under construction in Southern Iraq, and end at the border with Turkey.

Shada Radi also stated that other Gulf states would be contacted regarding inclusion in the project, which is one of the largest rail projects in the Middle East.

Read more: What's the Latest with GCC Rail?