Amid the deterioration of 70 percent of Iraq’s railways due to decades of wars and instability, successive governments continue efforts to modernize and expand the railway network in hopes of supporting transportation infrastructure and improving associated services to alleviate traffic congestion.
With traffic congestion in Baghdad reaching “disastrous” levels, Nasser al-Asadi, an advisor to the Prime Minister on transportation affairs, affirmed today, Sunday, that the Baghdad Metro project will not affect current traffic flow, noting that its completion is expected within four years.
It is worth mentioning that the Baghdad Metro project has been included in Baghdad’s development plan multiple times, in the years 2007, 2013, and 2020, but no significant progress has been made despite a French company presenting a work plan to the Iraqi government in 2020 regarding the project.
Al-Asadi stated in remarks followed by “Al-Alam Al-Jadid”, that “the Baghdad Metro and Najaf-Karbala train projects will be entrusted to professional and reputable companies specialized in railway systems,” explaining that “the advanced companies are very interested in understanding the details of the required technologies to be provided. The technical and financial evaluations of the offers to be submitted have been presented.”
He added, “The projects have been divided into sections covering design, systems, communications, services, and all details related to project implementation. The picture has become clear, and within the next 15 days, there will be presentation, analysis, and consultancy work to select the best and most suitable companies for such tasks.”
Al-Asadi further pointed out that “the projects will be awarded based on specific criteria and conditions, with each consortium of companies wishing to undertake the projects submitting two technical and financial proposals, outlining the design process, type of systems used, and global technology for operating trains. The financial proposal will specify the estimated project cost and the financial revenues to be realized from the project in Iraq.”
Regarding the conflicting issues facing the project, Al-Asadi clarified that “there are no conflicts in the Baghdad Metro project,” noting that “there is significant cooperation among all ministries to resolve any disputes.”
He also stated that “conflicts are being addressed engineering-wise, and others do not affect project implementation,” explaining that “open and uncomplicated locations for the project route have been selected that do not impact traffic flow, residential areas, commercial relationships within the city, or the existence of properties.”
Regarding the project’s timelines, Al-Asadi affirmed that “a timeframe has been set for the project’s implementation not to exceed 4 years,” noting that “Iraq relies heavily on meticulously planned schedules, and every step in the project will be defined with a start and end date, especially since the invited companies are known for their lack of delays and prompt execution of projects.”
The Baghdad Metro project was included in Baghdad’s investment budget tables on December 29, 2023, with a cost of 913 billion Iraqi dinars.
For over a year, a large campaign has been underway to alleviate traffic congestion in the capital, Baghdad, through various projects, the most important of which include the construction of bridges and tunnels. Some of these projects have entered service, while others are still under construction.
Baghdad suffers from overcrowding due to its population size and the abundance of residential complexes within it, except for the Basmaiyah complex, whose residents suffer from traffic congestion when entering the capital due to the poor quality of the road.
In the past two decades, millions of vehicles have entered the capital without any expansion of the road network or bridges, nor any updates to public transportation, amid continuous closure of many main and subsidiary roads for various reasons, including security incidents, encroachments, and some being converted to parking areas.
In March 2023, the British magazine The Economist described Baghdad in a report as one of the worst cities in terms of traffic congestion, witnessing choking traffic jams.
Preliminary plans for the Baghdad Metro were drawn up in 1980 by the British company DBP, with a length of 32 km, comprising 36 stations and two transport lines. However, it was not implemented due to the Iran-Iraq War, followed by the invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent blockade, until 2003. After 2003, the project was once again proposed by parliamentarians and members of local councils as a solution to reduce traffic congestion. However, security conditions and political instability kept the project on hold.
In July 2011, the Baghdad Municipality announced that a French company had prepared initial designs for the capital’s metro project, calling on French companies to compete with other international companies to implement reconstruction projects. However, the project did not progress beyond this stage.
In 2017, the Iraqi government and Alstom signed a memorandum of understanding to develop urban railway projects in Baghdad and Basra.
Former Minister of Transport Nasser al-Shibli announced in May 2022 the allocation of two billion dollars from the 2022 budget to implement the Baghdad Metro project. However, the minister’s announcement did not lead to anything due to the budget not being approved.
