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IRR Southern Line
The IRR Southern Line, also known as the Baghdad–Basra Railway Line (Route Number 2), is a railway line between the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and the port city of Basra in Iraq. The line is roughly 550 kilometres (340 mi) long, with intermediate stops including Karbala, Musayyib, Diwaniya, Samawah, Nasiriya and Um Qasr. A proposal was put forward to convert the railway route to high-speed rail and connect the city of Najaf, but the plan was never realised. Next to the commuter train to Falluja, it is one of the two only routes in Iraq that service passengers.
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 65 km/h (40 mph) and a top speed of 125 km/h (78 mph).
The Railway has a total trackage of 609 kilometres (378 mi) with 39 stations along the main route, one along the Karbala Branch and 4 along the 56 kilometres (35 mi) Um Qasr Branch. The rails have a UIC 60 profile with welded joints along the main branch designed for high-speed and heavy freight services. The axle load is 25 tons. Along the Um Qasr Branch the joints are coupled.
Along the line, two heavy maintenance factories have been built, one in Baghdad and the other in Samawa, right in the middle between Baghdad and Basra. There are also two light maintenance workshops, one in Baghdad and the other in Basra.
The line had a semiautomatic block relay signalling system installed in 1975, as well as sound cables running along the tracks providing communication between the stations and locomotives.
The first metre-gauge railway connection between the two cities was built during the First World War in the Mesopotamian Campaign. Subsequently, under British administration the ‘Mesopotamian Railways’ (MR), later ‘Iraqi State Railways’ (ISR) and after 1958 until today the ‘Iraqi Republic Railways’ (IRR), operated the rail. Installations built by the military during the war were also included in the construction. The last gap for a through connection between Baghdad and Basra was closed in 1924. This track remained in use until 1968 when it was abandoned in favour of the new standard-gauge line.
In the 1960s, the IRR built a standard-gauge track between Baghdad and Basra. It was initially opened on March 10th, 1964, for freight traffic only. Passenger services began on April 25th, 1968 and the metre-gauge railway was closed to traffic shortly thereafter.
During the Gulf War, the railway line was so severely damaged that train services were suspended - presumably shortly after American intervention. After the end of the war, repairs were carried out and trains were running again starting on May 22nd, 1991.
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IRR Southern Line
The IRR Southern Line, also known as the Baghdad–Basra Railway Line (Route Number 2), is a railway line between the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and the port city of Basra in Iraq. The line is roughly 550 kilometres (340 mi) long, with intermediate stops including Karbala, Musayyib, Diwaniya, Samawah, Nasiriya and Um Qasr. A proposal was put forward to convert the railway route to high-speed rail and connect the city of Najaf, but the plan was never realised. Next to the commuter train to Falluja, it is one of the two only routes in Iraq that service passengers.
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 65 km/h (40 mph) and a top speed of 125 km/h (78 mph).
The Railway has a total trackage of 609 kilometres (378 mi) with 39 stations along the main route, one along the Karbala Branch and 4 along the 56 kilometres (35 mi) Um Qasr Branch. The rails have a UIC 60 profile with welded joints along the main branch designed for high-speed and heavy freight services. The axle load is 25 tons. Along the Um Qasr Branch the joints are coupled.
Along the line, two heavy maintenance factories have been built, one in Baghdad and the other in Samawa, right in the middle between Baghdad and Basra. There are also two light maintenance workshops, one in Baghdad and the other in Basra.
The line had a semiautomatic block relay signalling system installed in 1975, as well as sound cables running along the tracks providing communication between the stations and locomotives.
The first metre-gauge railway connection between the two cities was built during the First World War in the Mesopotamian Campaign. Subsequently, under British administration the ‘Mesopotamian Railways’ (MR), later ‘Iraqi State Railways’ (ISR) and after 1958 until today the ‘Iraqi Republic Railways’ (IRR), operated the rail. Installations built by the military during the war were also included in the construction. The last gap for a through connection between Baghdad and Basra was closed in 1924. This track remained in use until 1968 when it was abandoned in favour of the new standard-gauge line.
In the 1960s, the IRR built a standard-gauge track between Baghdad and Basra. It was initially opened on March 10th, 1964, for freight traffic only. Passenger services began on April 25th, 1968 and the metre-gauge railway was closed to traffic shortly thereafter.
During the Gulf War, the railway line was so severely damaged that train services were suspended - presumably shortly after American intervention. After the end of the war, repairs were carried out and trains were running again starting on May 22nd, 1991.