By Muayad al-Tarfi

BAGHDAD

Iraq plans to link its railway network to that of neighboring Iran, the state-run Iraqi Republic Railways (IRR) company announced Tuesday, noting that several international companies had already voiced interest in investing in the scheme.

IRR Information Director Abdul Sattar Mohsen told Anadolu Agency that Iraqi and Iranian officials had already held several meetings to discuss the project.

According to Mohsen, the IRR is still looking for potential investors with a view to building a railway extension linking Iran’s Al-Shalamcheh border terminal to Iraq’s southeastern city of Basra.

The planned 32-kilometer extension will allow passengers to easily pass between the two countries, especially during Shia pilgrimage seasons, Mohsen said.

The rail extension will in turn be linked to an internal rail line in Iraq to include the cities of Basra, Baghdad, Yusufiya, Musayyib and Karbala, he added.

A number of international companies have already voiced interest in investing in the project, which, the official asserted, "comes within the context of plans to establish railway links between Iraq and neighboring countries".

Established in the early 20th century, the IRR has deteriorated considerably in recent decades due to an economic blockade in the 1990s and the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003.