Shafaq News- Baghdad

Deteriorating highways, overloaded trucks and limited railway connections are hampering freight transport in Iraq, even as the government pursues major infrastructure projects aimed at turning the country into a regional trade corridor.

Former Transport Minister Salam Al-Maliki told Shafaq News that deteriorating highways, inadequate maintenance, overloaded trucks and weak enforcement continued to undermine road safety and freight efficiency. He also cited poor lighting, inadequate road signs and cumbersome border procedures as obstacles to safer and faster freight movement.

Al-Maliki called for wider road rehabilitation, stricter weight controls and greater private-sector investment in transport infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Construction Ministry spokesperson Nabil Al-Saffar told Shafaq News that Iraq was implementing more than 80 road infrastructure projects, including roads linking economic centers, industrial zones and border crossings, alongside bridges, intersections, repairs to damaged sections and measures to reduce congestion.

He also cited work on 60 truck weigh stations equipped with electronic monitoring systems at provincial entrances, quarry access points and roads leading to border crossings. The stations are intended to control overloaded vehicles, reduce road damage and improve safety.

Despite these challenges, nearly 10,000 truck journeys have been completed through Iraq under the international TIR* transit system, Transport Ministry spokesperson Hussein Ahmed told Shafaq News.

Ahmed attributed the increase in freight movement to improved security, upgraded border facilities and digital procedures. However, he said Iraq still lacked a fully integrated railway network linking it to neighboring countries, while some domestic lines required further development.

Truck transfer yards at the Trebil, Ibrahim Khalil and Shalamcheh border crossings have been completed, with plans to develop additional facilities at Zurbatiyah and other crossings, Ahmed said.

The ministry is also developing digital truck monitoring systems and coordinating with security and border authorities to improve transport efficiency and road safety. According to Al-Saffar, further transfer facilities are planned at Baghdad's entrances and selected border crossings, alongside efforts to streamline customs and border procedures.

The Transport Ministry is also prioritizing the Development Road project, which aims to connect southern Iraq with Turkiye through a railway and a dedicated freight highway.

Ahmed said the project could eventually link to transport networks in neighboring countries, while the ministry expects it to divert freight traffic away from congested cities and improve integration between road and rail transport.

Al-Maliki said connecting the Grand Faw Port to the Turkish border could expand Iraq's role in international trade, increase non-oil revenue, create jobs and attract investment in transport and logistics.

Ahmed added that the ministry was pursuing financing arrangements, including World Bank loans and other agreements, to upgrade the domestic railway network and eventually connect it to the Development Road.

The World Bank approved $900 million for strategic road improvements in June 2026, following a $930 million railway modernization package in June 2025.

The railway project covers 1,047 kilometers between Umm Qasr Port and Mosul, while the road program targets connections to Turkiye, Jordan and Syria. Both investments aim to improve freight movement and strengthen Iraq's regional trade links.

*The TIR system (Transports Internationaux Routiers) is a United Nations-backed customs transit framework that allows goods to cross international borders under a single customs guarantee, reducing paperwork and inspection delays. Iraq joined the system in cooperation with the International Road Transport Union (IRU) to facilitate cross-border freight movement.