Kirkuk-Saladin railway needs $26M for revival

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Restoring the railway between Iraq’s Kirkuk and Saladin provinces would cost around 40 billion Iraqi dinars ($26.3 million), potentially reopening the route for freight and oil transport, Kirkuk Governor’s Adviser for Investment and Reconstruction Ali Hamadi told Shafaq News on Friday.

Hamadi said the provincial administration had repeatedly requested that the project be awarded to a contractor and work begin, while the Ministry of Construction and Housing had included it in its plans and cost estimates. Restoring the railway, including repairs to the war-damaged Al-Fatha bridge, would reconnect Kirkuk to the national rail network and improve connections with other provinces, including Basra, he added.

The restored line could carry goods, crude oil, and petroleum products, reducing pressure on roads. Former Kirkuk railway worker Hussein Jalil said years of inactivity had prevented the province from benefiting from rail connections to southern ports, arguing that reopening the line could lower freight costs and fuel consumption.

In April, Iraqi Republic Railways Deputy Director General Ali Oudeh estimated repairs to the Al-Fatha railway bridge at 60 billion dinars ($39.5 million), saying the railway could resume operations within 18 months if budget allocations were secured. It remains unclear whether the two estimates cover the same work.

Read more: Iraqi Kirkuk railway station: Heavy with memory, waiting for movement