IRR Southern Line

IRR Southern Line
Legend
Baghdad To Basra
km approx. time 0 Baghdad International Railway Station 0:00 IRR Northern and Western 9.1 Baghdad Mansur Railway Station 11.9 Hamra Railway Station 17.2 Dora Railway Station 31.0 Yusufiya Railway Station Over Grand Channel 41.2 Mahmudiya Railway Station 46.8 Latifiya Railway Station 61.4 Iskanderiya/Alexandria Railway Station 01:00 73.0 Musaiyeb Railway Station Over Euphrates 97.6 Karbala Railway Station 01:40 90.6 Mahawil Railway Station 109.7 Hilla/Babylon Railway Station 01:45 Over Euphrates 134.1 Hashimiya Railway Station 02:00 148.9 Qojan Railway Station Over Euphrates 167.3 Sharifiya Railway Station 170.9 Seniya Railway Station Over Euphrates 185.5 Diwaniya Railway Station 03:00 203.9 Bani Median Railway Station 215.0 Hamza Railway Station 230.9 Rumeitha Railway Station 237.0 Abu Tubeikh Railway Station 249.9 Hijama Railway Station 04:00 267.0 Sawa Railway Station Over Euphrates 275.3 Samawa Railway Station 04:15 299.5 Khafora Railway Station 313.8 Khuder Railway Station 328.7 Daraji Railway Station 05:00 346.4 Batha Railway Station 364.4 Quziya Railway Station 381.3 Nasiriya Railway Station 05:50 Over Grand Channel 396.3 Khandaq Railway Station 06:00 408.6 Suq Ash Shuyukh Railway Station 420.0 Karmashiya Railway Station Hamar Marsh 433.7 Showeiya Railway Station 440.0 Howeysa Railway Station 448.8 Luqeyt Railway Station 07:00 Over Grand Channel 461.7 Ghabashiya Railway Station 477.3 Jazair Railway Station 482.0 Sidra Railway Station 487.5 Artawa Rail Station 504.7 Romayla Railway Station 521.5 Tuba Railway Station 08:00 Shoeyba Junction To Um Qasr 536.9 Shoeyba Railway Station Over Basra Canal 552.9 Basra Maqal Railway Station 08:30 Over Shatt Al Arab Line to Shalamcheh Under Counstruction

The IRR Southern Line, also known as the Baghdad–Basra Railway Line, is a railway line that has operated since 2014 between the cities of Baghdad and Basra in Iraq. It is operated by Iraqi Republic Railways. The line is roughly 550 kilometres (340 mi) long, with intermediate stops including Karbala, Musayyib, Diwaniya, Samawah and Nasiriya. A proposal was put forward to convert the railway route to high-speed rail and connect the city of Najaf, but it was never realised.^[1][2]

The line was planned to be high-speed, allowing a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), but currently operates at an average speed of 60–70 km/h (37.3–43.5 mph) and a top speed of 125 km/h (77.7 mph).^[1][3][4][5]

There is one train service per day, taking 8–12 hours, in each direction. The Baghdad to Basra train starts at Baghdad Central Station at 8 pm and arrives at Basra Al Maqal Railway Station at 4:30 am.^[6] In reverse, the Basra to Baghdad train starts at 7 pm and arrives in Baghdad at 6:15 am.

The line was first announced by Thierry Mariani, a French junior transport minister, at the 2011 Paris Air Show on 24 June 2011.^[1] He said that French company Alstom and the Iraqi government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding a contract to build the proposed line and that Alstom would conduct exclusive talks with the Iraqi government for a year.^[1][2]

In 2014, IRR received the first of an order of 10 new trains from CRRC Qingdao Sifang. The trainsets consist of two diesel-powered locomotives and eight steel bodied trailers and are specifically built to resist the high temperatures and wind-blown dust of Iraq's desert environment. ^[7][8]

There are four categories of tickets on the line. A two-berth sleeper accommodation costs 37,000 IQD (28 USD) and a four-berth sleeper ticket costs 31,000 IQD (24 USD). Second-class seating tickets each cost 10,000 IQD (8 USD) and first class options cost 15,000 IQD (11 USD). Tea, kebabs or other snacks can be purchased in the dining car.^[9][10]