Baghdad and Erbil discuss road and rail routes for the “Development Road” within the Kurdistan Region
Baghdad and Erbil discuss road and rail routes for the “Development Road” within the Kurdistan Region
2026-10-22
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Thursday, the Minister of Transport, Wahab Al-Hassani, met with the Minister of Transport and Communications in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ano Jawhar Abdul-Masih. The two sides discussed a number of joint files, most notably the Development Road project and prospects for coordination between the ministry and the relevant authorities in the region.
A statement issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Transport indicated that the meeting addressed the general routes of the Development Road project, and the routes located within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, for both the road and the railway line, in order to coordinate visions regarding the project’s requirements and phases, and to enhance integration in planning and implementation among the concerned parties.
The statement added that the two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation and joint coordination on issues of mutual interest, and to unify efforts to serve the development of the transport sector in Iraq, and to support connectivity between the governorates and the region within an integrated national vision for strategic transport projects.
In April 2024, Iraq, Turkey, the UAE and Qatar signed a four-way agreement for the Iraq Development Road Project, under the auspices of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The project, which includes a 1,200-kilometer road and railway within Iraq, aims to promote economic integration between East and West, increase international trade, and facilitate the movement of goods.
The project’s investment budget is approximately $17 billion, divided between $6.5 billion for the highway and $10.5 billion for the electric railway. It will be implemented in three phases, ending in 2028, 2033, and 2050.
The project is expected to provide around 100,000 job opportunities in the first phase and one million job opportunities upon completion, and will promote economic growth and regional and international cooperation.
shafaq.com
