Shalamcheh-Basra railway to bring remarkable change in region

"Iran's Khorramshahr, Abadan, and Shalamcheh are located in a very important strategic area," he said addressing a video conference on Thurs., "Due to the agreement made with the Iraqi government on connecting Shalamcheh to Basra, we will be able to witness a fundamental change in this region."

"This will be a very big change, and Iran's railway will be connected to Iraq and Syria, and in fact to the Mediterranean, which is very important," he added.

In Sept. 2019, the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI) promised that the construction operation Shalamcheh-Basra railway project will be commenced in the same year.

Increasing the number of pilgrims to the holy shrines especially in Arbaeen ceremonies [which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam, Imam Hussein (AS) as well as the need to facilitate the movement of these pilgrims has been cited as one of the most important aims for launching this railway line.

Shalamcheh-Basra line, as long as 32km, can be one of the bottlenecks completing the Silk Road.

In addition to transporting Iranian pilgrims, it can also be used to transport foreign pilgrims from neighboring countries.

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