Rail transport in Iraq is owned and operated by the state-owned Iraqi Republic Railways.
The network comprises of . It has one international interchange, with Syrian Railways at Rabiya. The system runs from Rabiya southward through Mosul, Baiji, and Baghdad to Basra, with a branch line from Shouaiba Junction (near Basra) to the ports of Khor Az Zubair and Umm Qasr, westward from Baghdad through Ramadi and Haqlaniya to Al-Qa'im and Husayba, with a branch line from Al-Qa'im to Akashat, and east–west from Haqlaniya through Bayji to Kirkuk.
Network Current routes
IRR Southern Line
The IRR Southern Line, also known as the Baghdad–Basra Railway Line, is the only fully operational rail route in Iraq. It stretches 550 kilometres to Basra Al Maqal railway station and has a branch line to Karbala and another one from Shoeyba Junction to Um Qasr.
IRR Northern Line
The IRR Northern Line connects the capital of Baghdad with the northern city of Mosul and then to the international interchange at Rabiyaa. The line is currently in reconstruction. A daily commuter train currently connects Baghdad and Samarra, with an extra train on Fridays for pilgrims.
IRR Western Line
The Line connects Baghdad to the phosphate mining village of Akashat. Between 2009 and 2024 the only section in use was the 65-kilometre-long section from Baghdad to Falluja. On October 8, 2024, the connection to the rest of the line finished reconstruction. On October 11, 2024, the first Train departed Ramadi for Baghdad after a fifteen-year hiatus.
IRR Transversal Line
This rail line connects Haditha with the intersection to the IRR Western, over Baiji, where it connects to the IRR Northern, to Kirkuk in the north-east of Iraq. It is the only major route to not run to Baghdad. Currently, only the Baiji-Field-Branch is currently in use for freight service.
Abandoned routes IRR Eastern Line
The IRR Eastern Line was the last metre-gauge railway in Iraq connecting Baghdad, Baquba and Kirkuk with Erbil. It closed from 1984 to 1988. It also featured a branch from Jalawla Junction to Khanaqin.
Other narrow-gauge railways
Multiple narrow-gauge railways were built in Iraq during the First World War and British Mandate times. They were mostly constructed for warfare and logistics with portable track due to resource constraints. Some temporary routes later became the foundation for other railways, like the IRR Eastern. Some war time routes include:
Qurna-Amara - 762mm-gauge () Basra-Nasiriya - metre-gauge () Sheikh Saad-Sinn - 762mm-gauge () Baghdad-Radhwaniya 600mm-gauge Baghdad-Mufraz 600mm-gauge Baghdad-Table Mountain 762mm-gauge ()
History
The first section of railway in what was then the Ottoman Empire province of Mesopotamia was a length of the Baghdad Railway between that city & Samarra opened in 1914. Work had started northwards from Baghdad with the aim of meeting the section being constructed across Turkey and Syria to Tel Kotchek and an extension northwards from Samarra to Baiji was opened in December 1918.Hughes (1981) p. 87
From 1916 onwards an invading British Military force brought narrow gauge equipment, firstly gauge and later gauge from India to Southern Mesopotamia to construct various sections of line to support its offensive against the Turks. Britain defeated the Ottomans and Mesopotamia became a League of Nations mandate under British administration. In April 1920 the British military authorities transferred all railways to a British civilian administration, Mesopotamian Railways.Hughes (1981) p. 90
The metre gauge line from Basra to Nasiriyah was the most important section constructed during the war in terms of its significance as part of later efforts to construct a national railway network. Soon after the end of World War I this was extended northwards from Ur Junction outside Nasiriyah up the Euphrates valley with the complete Basra to Baghdad route being opened on 16 January 1920.Hughes (1981) p. 89
The other section of metre gauge line built during World War I that had ongoing significance was that from Baghdad East north eastwards to the Persian border. After the war the eastern end of this line was diverted to Khanaqin and the wartime built line north west from Jalula Junction was extended from Kingerban to Kirkuk in 1925.
In 1932 Iraq became independent from the UK. In March 1936 the UK sold Mesopotamian Railways to Iraq, which renamed the company Iraqi State Railways. Work resumed on the extension of the Baghdad Railway between Tel Kotchek on the Syrian frontier and Baiji. The through route was opened and completed on 15 July 1940. In 1941 the Iraqi State Railways PC class 4-6-2 steam locomotives were introduced to haul the Baghdad–Istanbul Taurus Express on the Baghdad Railway between Baghdad and Tel Kotchek.Hughes (1981) p. 98 From 1941 onwards the UK War Department supplemented ISR's locomotive fleets: the metre gauge with HG class 4-6-0s requisitioned from India and new USATC S118 Class 2-8-2s from the US, and the standard gauge with new LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0s and USATC S100 Class 0-6-0Ts.
In 1947 the Iraq Petroleum Company opened a branch at Kirkuk, which it operated with its own Hudswell Clarke 2-8-4Ts from 1951. ISR opened a new metre gauge line from Kirkuk to Arbil in 1949. A joint road and rail bridge was opened across the River Tigris in Baghdad in 1950, finally connecting the east and west bank metre gauge systems. ISR added new steam locomotives in the 1950s: 20 metre gauge 2-8-2s from Ferrostaal of Essen and 10 from Vulcan Foundry in 1953 and 20 more from Maschinenfabrik Esslingen in 1955-56 and 2-8-0s from Krupp, plus standard gauge 2-8-0s also from Krupp.
In 1958 when Iraq's Hashemite monarchy was overthrown and a republic declared, ISR was renamed Iraqi Republic Railways. In 1961 IRR began to replace its standard gauge steam locomotive fleet with diesels from ČKD and Alco.Hughes (1981) p. 97 In 1972 several classes of steam locomotive were still in service on the standard gauge system, but these were replaced by further classes of diesel from Alstom, Montreal Locomotive Works and MACOSA. IRR did not begin to replace its metre gauge steam locomotives until after 1983.
In 1964 IRR extended its standard gauge network with a line from Baghdad to Basrah which opened for freight in 1964 and for passengers in 1968. It has since been extended from Shouaiba Junction to the port of Umm Qasr.
From 1980 until 2003 the network suffered approximately one billion United States dollars' worth of war and looting damage.
Rolling stock In 1936, the Iraqi State Railways owned 114 locomotives, 8 railcars, 320 coaches and 3,485 goods wagons.
Current (information partly from 2004) ClassImageAxle formulaNumberYear in servicePower[hp]ConstructorNotesDEM 2701–2750Bo-Bo5020012,000DalianIn serviceDHS 101–103BBBo-Bo31986600Nippon SharyoNot in service anymoreHaRakevet: Rothschild PhD, Rabbi Walter (March 2005), I.R.R. Diesel loco stocklist. Series 18 issue 68DHS 111–113BBBo-Bo31973600Nippon SharyoNot in service anymoreDHS 121–127BBBo-Bo71982600Nippon SharyoNot in service anymoreDHS 131–144Bo-Bo142002–20031,000Tülomsas8 in service in 2004DHS 151–162Bo-Bo122004–20051,200TülomsasDEM 2001–2010Co-Co1019631,650ČKD5657–5766. Not in service anymoreDEM 2011–2020Co-Co1019641,650ČKD5802–5811. Not in service anymoreDEM 2101–2105Co-Co519652,000Alco3416.01–3416.05. Not in service anymoreDEM 2201–2220Co-Co2019712,000AlstomNot in service anymoreDEM 2301–2330Co-Co3019752,000Montreal Locomotive Works6083.01–6083.30. Not in service anymoreDEM 2331–2361Co-Co3019762,000Montreal Locomotive Works6093.01–6093.31. Not in service anymoreDMU1020143,600CSR160 km/h. 10-car long-distance train has two power cars and accommodates up to 343 passengers intended for Baghdad–Basra on the Bagdad–Basra train.DEM 2401–2455Co-Co5519802,000Macosa1631–1685. Some possibly still in serviceDEM 2501–2582Co-Co8219832,250Henschel & Son32711–32720, 32639–32710. Seen in service in 2007. 2559–2561 were formerly dedicated to Saddam Hussein's private passenger train.DEM 2801–2830Co-Co3020042,630Lugansk (LuganskTeplovoz)Some possibly still in serviceDES 3001–3036Bo-Bo361962–1973650ČKDDES 3101–3200Co-Co1001979–19811,100ČKD11301–11303, 12204–12211, 12272–12360DES 3301–3306Bo-Bo620041,200BryanskDEM 4001-11Co-Co1119803,600FrancorailDEM 4101-61Co-Co61980–19823,600Francorail* DHS = Diesel-hydraulic, DEM = Diesel-electric
Retired ClassImageAxle FormulaNumberYear in ServiceConstructorNotesHJ Class4-6-0203 1902 Originally built for Bengal and North Western Railway. Exported to Iraq in Second World War.HG Class4-6-0 1907 Robert Stephenson & Company One seen as 132 in 1967. Originally built for Burma Railways. Exported to Iraq later.HG Class4-6-0 1920 Nasmyth Wilson One seen as 179 in 1967. Originally built for South Indian Railway Company. Exported to Iraq later.HG Class4-6-0 192 North British One seen as 193 in 1967. Originally built for South Indian Railway Company. Exported to Iraq later.HGS Class4-6-0 1921 Vulcan Foundry One seen as 149 in 1967. Exported to Iraq later.NA Class4-8-0 2261920North BritishOriginally built for Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway. Exported to Iraq in Second World War.?0-6-0?1912BorsigOne photographed in 1967 on display at Baghdad West Railway station.?0-4-0VBT?1928 SentinelTwo photographed in 1967 as RM2/RM3.PC class4-6-241941Robert Stephenson & HawthornsNos. 501-504. Built in 1940. 504 lost during transport to Iraq. Out of service in 1967.TD Class2-8-0121942North British 143 Sent to Iran after 1941 Anglo-Soviet invasion. Ten were purchased by I.R.R. in 1947, two in 1948. Operated until the seventies. 1 Currently possible disused - abandoned in field near IRR . Series around 1400. War Department 70746> 1402SA Class0-6-051942-'44DavenportNos. 1211–1215. In 1967 at least two active. According to some they were used by Palestine Military Railway first. P.M.R. 106 > 423, 165 > 425, 404 > 429, 406 > 430, 434 > 431, 437 > 432, 512 > 438.HaRakevet: Rothschild PhD, Rabbi Walter (September 1989), Palestine Military Railways Ex-LSWR 0-6-0's Series 2 issue 5V Class0-4-0T1910BorsigOne seen as 208 in 1967 on display in Shalchiyah.W Class2-8-21943AlcoOne seen as 63 in 1967.2-8-4T31951Hudswell ClarkeNos. 1–3.Y Class2-8-2101953Vulcan FoundryOne seen as 80 in 1967Z Class2-8-21956Esslingen One seen as 96.
Couplings IRR uses Soviet-style SA3 couplers. In order to allow interchange with Syrian Railways and Turkish State Railways which both use screw couplers, IRR locomotives and most wagons are equipped with screw couplers and buffers. In Iraqi service the buffers do not make contact and the screw couplings hang down unattached.
Developments
Iraq–Jordan Direct Railway Link In August 2011, the Jordanian government approved the construction of the railway from Aqaba to the Iraqi border (near Trebil). The Iraqis in the meantime started the construction of the line from the border to their current railhead at Ramadi.Construction begins on 500km Jordan-Iraq railway, Construction Week, 24 August 2011
High-speed Baghdad–Basra line
In 2011, a line between Baghdad and Basra was planned, with the Iraqi Railways and Alstom designing the route.
It started operations since 2014, and at that time not classified as a true high-speed rail. New trainsets for use on the Baghdad-Basra route were unveiled in China in February 2014 before being shipped to Iraq.
Iraq–Iran Basra–Shalamcheh line In December 2021, Iran and Iraq agreed to build a railway connecting both countries. The project would connect Basra in southern Iraq to Shalamcheh in western Iran. There are only around 30 kilometers (18 miles) between the two areas. The railway would be strategically important for Iran, linking the country to the Mediterranean Sea via Iraq and Syria's railways.
Rail links to adjacent countries Iran – one link partially under construction and a second link planned Khorramshahr, Iran, to Basra, Iraq – under construction (2023)