Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has kicked off the first phase of an ambitious railway project, aiming to link the Kurdistan region with Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, the Ministry of Construction and Housing said on Monday.

In a press conference held earlier today, Minister of Construction, Dana Abdul-Karim, said that the initial phase involves discussing the economic feasibility of the project.

"Subsequently, the initiative will be presented for investment and launched in a later stage," he said, stressing that the rail line would commence from the Turkish border, crossing through the Kurdistan region to reach the Iranian frontier.

Providing a strategic linkage of the Kurdistan region with Iraqi governorates via Mosul and Kirkuk, the project foresees the facilitation of not only trade but potentially fostering closer ties with neighboring countries.

The minister noted that a group of investors stands ready to undertake the railway project, requiring a fund of 4 billion USD for its execution.

This announcement comes close on the heels of a cornerstone laying ceremony for the railway link held on Saturday, 2nd September at the Shalamcheh border crossing in Basra.

Aimed to serve travelers and pilgrims, the event was attended by Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani and Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber.

Economic expert Nabil al-Marsoumi explained that the first part of the project envisages laying a 36-km rail line between the cities of Khorramshahr and Basra, with an estimated construction period of 18 months. The subsequent phase will extend the railway to the regions of Abu Kamal and Deir ez-Zor in Syria, eventually reaching the Mediterranean at the Syrian port of Latakia.