Alstom tapped for Iraq HSR talks
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefAlstom is in exclusive talks to land a contract to build high speed rail in Iraq linking Baghdad, the capital, and the port city of Basra, a French transport minister said Friday.
“Alstom and the Iraqi railway have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a high-speed rail line between Baghdad and Basra,” Thierry Mariani said while at the Paris International Airshow. Alstom and Iraq have 12 months to solidify the deal.
An Alstom spokesman reportedly confirmed the agreement, and said the company seeks some form of design-build-operate pact. The line, roughly 400 miles in length, would handle trains at top speeds of 250 km/h (about 155 mph).
Other cities to be linked by the HSR line include Karbala, Najaf, Moussayeb, and Samawah.
