The Basra-Shalamcheh railway linking southern Iraq with Iran’s Khuzestan province is about 70% complete, a senior Iranian official told Shafaq News on Thursday during a delegation’s visit to inspect the project.
Shamseddin Hosseini, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s Economic Commission, said the delegation, which included lawmakers and deputy ministers, visited Iraq to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation, while also discussing several issues with Basra’s local government, including transport and trade.
Demining has been completed along 16 kilometers on the Iranian side of the railway project, according to the official, who said work was underway to complete the link in the near future.
Beyond the railway, plans are also underway for a free-trade zone and an industrial center in Shalamcheh, on the Iraq-Iran border. Hosseini added that both projects were expected to be completed soon to support industrial activity between Basra and Khuzestan.
The 36-kilometer Basra-Shalamcheh railway is designed to carry passengers and religious visitors between Iraq and Iran. In late 2025, then-Iraqi Transport Minister Razzaq Muhaibis Al-Saadawi announced the start of the project after the ministry signed a contract with Spanish company Imathia Construcción to build the line.
