TEHRAN- Iran and Iraq penned an MOU on reinforcement of bilateral railway ties in Tehran on Monday, IRNA reported.

As reported, the MOU, signed after a meeting held between Deputy of Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Mir-Hassan Mousavi and Iraqi Republic Railways Company Assistant General Manager Salam Jaber Salloum, seeks increase and ease of transporting goods and passengers between the two sides from Iran’s land border of Shalamcheh to Basra in Iraq.

The MOU obligates the Iraqi side to reduce its levied tariffs on Iranian passengers and goods, while each of the countries is accordingly required to provide the other side with good transportation services, as well.

Through the railway between Shalamcheh and Basra, Iran will link up with the eastern Mediterranean nations. For Iraq, the route will provide an access to the Central Asia, Russia and China.

The railway line on Iran’s territory is about 12 kilometers from Khorramshahr to Shalamcheh and about 35 kilometers in the Iraqi territory. However, the track is not completed in Iraq yet, so passengers should currently travel from Khorramshahr to Basra by bus.

HJ/MA