Alstom will Built Baghdad Metro Line

Iraq has signed an agreement with French company Alstom to build an above-ground urban metro line in Baghdad at a cost of $1.5bn, which will be provided by the French Government and banks.

The 22km rail line will have 14 stations linking northern Baghdad districts with the city centre and will have a capacity to carry 30,000 passengers per hour.

The new metro line is expected to ease congestion in the war-battered Iraqi capital, where the presence of a large amount of military checkpoints causes traffic jams.

Alstom signed a memorandum of understanding for the deal in January and a follow-up agreement paved the way for the French financing.
The line will be completed four to five years after the final contract is signed.