IRR

Iraqi railways video

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Alive in Baghdad employs Iraqi journalists to produce video packages each week about a variety of topics on daily life in Iraq, and this week has a short video on Iraq’s railways, subtitled in English. Through the work of a team of Americans and Iraqi correspondents on the ground, Alive in Baghdad shows the conflict through the voices of Iraqis.

The video includes footage of Dalian diesel locomotives in action in Baghdad, and a still picture of a British-built 8F steam loco.

100 Years Later, Iraq Railroad Still Runs

VIDEO – Iraq, Baghdad – The railroad in Iraq has a long history of wars and occupations, in the 1920s the railroads tracks were used by the British forces for transporting military supplies from London to Baghdad during the British occupation and it was well known with the name “Orient Express”

The greatest era of the Iraqi railway was during the 1970s. Iraq imported new trains at that time and developed a new international schedule, with trains leaving Baghdad heading to Damascus, London, Berlin, Paris and other destinations in Europe. Iraqis and people all over the world used to dream of the chance to take a trip in the famous “Orient Express.”

…

Now the Iraqi Republic Railways company is trying to fix the trains and is working on improving the old Orient Express, hoping the railroads will be modernized and good enough for passengers to use regularly in the near future.

This week our correspondent Nabeel Kamal visited the Iraqi Republic Railways company in Baghdad to see how the progress is going with this old company that is in fact older than Iraq itself.

Source: Alive in Baghdad 24 November 2008

Railway poster

The Orient Express in its many forms didn’t actually go to Baghdad, but only as far east as Istanbul, where passengers had to cross the Bosporus by boat – though a tunnel is now being built.

Sadly the Orient Express is now reduced to running from Strasbourg to Vienna and back; the Man in Seat 61 explains all.

The book The 8:55 to Baghdad by Andrew Eames provides a more recent perspective on the journey from London to Baghdad. Agatha [Christie] used just two trains, the Orient Express and the Taurus Express, and then took what was effectively a taxi across 400 miles of desert from Damascus to Baghdad. Although both the OE and the TE still exist, they are nothing like what they used to be, so I had to string together a total of eight trains to do the same trip. And then join a coach of very unlikely characters to cross the desert into Iraq, in the last months before war broke out.

Baghdad’s commuter train is beautiful but slow

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

All aboard the Baghdad Metro is an article by Tina Susman and Caesar Ahmed on the Los Angeles Times website.

Dated November 18 2008, it describes the recently introduced Iraqi Republic Railways commuter service in Baghdad, with a simple map.

Despite the story’s title, it is about an Iraqi Republic Railways “mainline” rail service, not a “metro” as such. A metro was proposed for Baghdad in the past, but not built.

“If this succeeds, I think they’ll open more lines inside Baghdad,” says Thafir Salim, the engineer [train driver] on the route, which leaves the main station and weaves about 15 miles through west and south Baghdad on just two round-trip journeys a day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

There are six photos. Some show a Dalian DEM 2700 mainline locomotive, which seem to appear in most of the photos of IRR which I’ve seen, but some of the LA Times pictures seem to show a Tülomsas Bo-Bo diesel-hydraulic loco.

“It’s beautiful, but it’s slow,” says Mohammed Ali, a Baghdad University student who normally takes the taxi from his Dora home to school. But the first-time rider says he will keep taking it. “I think it’s more secure than the taxis,” he says. “What’s good here is there are no checkpoints, no traffic, no explosions.”

Baghdad commuter service starts up

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Various news sources report the [re-?]start of commuter rail services in Baghdad at the end of October, which is good news.

AP has some photographs, A train arrives at al-Alawi railway station, central Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008, showing DEM2727.

Baghdad Central station in 2005 (Photo by Mark Hemphill)

Commuter rail trains running in Baghdad to relieve traffic jams

by Fu Yiming, Jamal Hashim

…
The 25-kilomter commuter rail, a section of an old railway which had been damaged by the war and stopped running for years, came into operation just a few days ago.

It shuttles between central Baghdad and the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah north of the capital or the mainly Sunni suburb of Yousifiyah in the south, which makes a handful of stops in both Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods. A ticket costs 1,000 Iraqidinars (equivalent to 80 cents).

“The train is faster than cars, it avoids stopping in traffic jams and dozens of checkpoints that people obliged to pass through,” a Transport Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

….
At the main station in Allawi area in central Baghdad, metal detectors and body search conducted by male and female security members are set at several checkpoints.

There are also walls that protect the railroad along with security forces protecting main and some stops for the train.

The anonymous Transport Ministry official said that “there are no security problems among those Sunni and Shiite districts, because situation is calm now” and there are also walls that protect the railroad along with security forces protecting main and some stops for the train, “but everybody knows that there is no 100 percent of guarantee for safety, not in every place in the world.”
[more]
Source: Xinhua

The official Iraqi Republic Railways website gives a timetable, but it doesn’t survive a Google translation:

News is very important

The company of the Iraqi Basthat railway line to transport people

As “the 10-27-2008 works on the side of Karkh to train
Services and absorb the momentum off in the Karkh side of the station
Central at 5.35 am, “passing” Mansour station at 5.50
And the field or drums session at 6.12 and the Abu Dshir to station
Yusufiya train at 6.25 am. “And leave the station for Yusufiya”
Baghdad at 6.50 am, “and hit the Abu Dshir 7.07 pm
Morning “and reach the station at 7.10 and 7.25 Mansour up station
Morning, “as up to the train station Kadhimiya at 7.50 am.” And again
Passenger b at 2.45. Aa train station Kadhimiya through “station
Mansour train at 3.09 b. And an AM or drums session at 3.27
B. AA and the Abu Dshir, to close at 3.45 b Yusufiya. Aa.
And re-boarding the train station at 4.00 pm Yusufiya, “passing”
Abu Dshir area in order “to the train station at 4.15 pm”
Access “to the train station at 4.46 pm Mansour” and up to station
Central Baghdad at 4.45 pm. ”

Fare (1000) thousand dinars only
Source: Iraqi Republic Railways.

Iraq rail investment plans

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Iraq Development Program has a report from Noozz dated May 19 about various railway development plans. It is illustrated with a UK Class 323 EMU in Centro colours!

Iraq to invest $6 billion in railways to boost trade and tourism

Iraq will spend over $6 billion over the next few years to develop its railway infrastructure for passenger and freight services, connecting the whole country via a central hub encircling Baghdad according to the general director of the Iraqi Railroads Company.

Alaa ad-Deen Sadiq, the general director of the Iraqi Railroads Company, one of the enterprises of the ministry of transportation, told Al-Bayyina newspaper that the ministry has approved two giant projects for implementation and that a third is currently being discussed.

An unnamed international company has been awarded a design and modernization contract for the $1 billion Baghdad circle line railway. Construction on the project has already begun, and once completed it will encircle Baghdad, creating a 112km hub for all rail traffic moving across the country.

The project also includes the construction of two new passenger stations and a goods yard in south-west Baghdad, and three rail bridges, two across the river Tigris and one across the river Diyala.

Two new railways will be built in the second project linking Baghdad with Iraq’s southern sea ports for travel, tourism or commerce: Baghdad-Kut-Nsiriyya-Basra and Baghdad-Kut-Imara-Basra lines, at an estimated cost of $3 billion.

25 medium to large stations will be built along the lines, in addition to 20 interchange stations connecting to other railways, and a freight goods yard.

No details of completion dates were given in the report.

Sadiq revealed that a $2 billion railway to connect northern Iraq with Iran is in the planning stage, and will connect several major cities in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

The 430km Baghdad-Kirkuk-Irbil-Mosul railway will serve as the central feeder line between Baghdad and the north, with central stations in Kirkuk and Mosul will feed two lines to Iran: Khanaqin-Munthiriyya-Khisravi-Qsr-Shirin-Kermanshah; and Khanaqin-Munthiriyya-Iran.

He did not give any details of where the line will run in Iran or the names of Iranian partners involved in the project.

Iraqi Railroads Company is undertaking modernization work on Iraq’s dilapidated railway infrastructure, the report said, highlighting efforts to install a fibre optic laser signaling system, signals, and a communications network, as well as announcing plans to integrate Iraq’s railways with neighbouring countries to increase tourism and commercial exchanges.

Video of Saddam’s train

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The BBC has a short video of the inside of Saddam Hussein’s personal train.

The luxury train belonging to former ruler of Iraq, Saddam Hussein is to return to service.

Since the 1970s, the French-built train has been kept in a secret place in Baghdad.

The 23-carriage train will start to shuttle passengers between Baghdad and the southern city of Basra from September.

The “secret place” where the train was kept was Baghdad Central station, according to a report published in The Times on February 9 2008, alongside Platform 8, long since stripped of their gold and silver fittings.

Baghdad Central station refurbishment

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

It’s now a couple of years old, but I’ve just come across this article about modernisation work at Baghdad Central railway station.

The caption says This 1914 engine, capable of traveling 25 miles per hour, is the oldest Iraqi railway steam locomotive. It was retired in 1951 and is on display at the Baghdad Central Station.

Assuming this is the same plinthed loco as the one shown in the book Middle East Railways by Hugh Hughes, it is Baghdad Railway no.405, built by Borsig of Berlin as works no.8480 of 1912. It was originally an 0-6-0T, no.5.

Baghdad train station revitalized

Friday, 04 August 2006
Story and photos by Norris Jones
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

BAGHDAD — Karem recalled using Iraqi trains when he was a youngster.

Back then, the Baghdad Central Train Station was notorious for nonfunctioning restrooms and the foul odor of sewerage emanating from the basement. “But the trains themselves were always clean, comfortable and a great bargain,” the 33-year-old deputy resident engineer said.

Now Karem is overseeing a project that will not only re-introduce train travel to Baghdad, but will make the train station far better than he remembered as a child.

“Of the 19 projects I oversee, this is my favorite. I see the huge potential here,” he said. “Baghdad Central Train Station has the potential to generate many jobs – not only jobs directly connected with railroad operations, but also … taxi and bus drivers who would pick up passengers using the train station.”

In addition, more passengers coming through the train stations could generate more jobs at nearby hotels, shops and businesses, he said.

The $5.9 million project includes an all-new power plant and air conditioning system. “We have replaced all the electrical, water, and sewer lines. The roof and the plaster walls were replaced and the restaurant was rehabilitated,” Karem said.

The windows were replaced, all of the clocks were replaced and connected to one central system, and the broken mosaic floor tiles were replaced.

A new entrance was constructed. Two new seven-passenger elevators, new bathrooms and a hotel with 13 rooms were added along with a new fire alarm and sprinkler system. The train station was originally built by the British in 1954 and was considered the “Jewel of Baghdad” for travelers of the day. It offered telegraph services, a bank, a post office, shopping areas, a saloon and restaurant, and even had an office with printing presses which are still printing the train tickets.

“The overall structure was in great shape and we tried not to alter its historical look, despite the many improvements. If something needed to be added, we tried to match the same architectural style,” Karem said.

The project is nearing completion and Karem says a proposed $8 million maintenance facility for the locomotives and freight/passenger cars is now being considered.

“(The railroad is) the gateway to the world,” Karem said. “It’s a symbol of our freedom.”

Major Robert Nash, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officer who worked with Karem on the project, said he’s proud of Karem and the other 35 Iraqis who work on the station.

“Karem came here as a quality assurance representative, was promoted to project engineer, and is now one of our two Iraqi resident engineers,” he said.

“We worked together and helped put a plan in motion to increase the potential of what the Baghdad Central Train Station can become. It was just one of Sadaam’s toys and sat in a state of disrepair for decades.”

Although the number of trains being operated is limited, Nash is confident will regain the prominence it once had.

He looks forward to the day when he can fly into Baghdad International Airport, take a cab to the train station, and travel to any point in Iraq safely, securely and comfortably.

“Our Iraqi engineers are … building relationships that will last long after the last American has departed.”

Dan in the Desert has some 2006 photos of the station, including one showing the steam engine.

Saddam Hussein’s luxury train to return to service

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

This story seems to be all over the web today. Here is the Associated Press version, which many of the reports are taken from:

Saddam’s luxury train to return to service

Iraqi railway officials say Saddam Hussein’s personal luxury train will return to service next month.

Officials say the 23-carriage train will ferry passengers from Baghdad to the southern city of Basra.
(more…)



Saddam’s luxury train to return to service from Associated Press

The train is described as French-built, with 23 carriages (more than one rake?) and three locomotives.

The locomotives have previously been reported as Thyssen-Henschel/EMD JT22CW locos DEM 2559, 2560 and 2561.

DEM 2561 is the loco on the right in this 2004 photo by Rick Degman.

Back in April 2003 The Times of Oman reported

Saddam’s phantom train is now a sorry sight

Saddam Hussein’s private train, which he never bothered to use, now sits vandalised and looted in a dark railyard in Baghdad’s deserted central station…Saddam preferred to travel by plane for security reasons…Three engines allocated for presidential use and another unit purely to supply electricity, glistening with new green paint, were built in 1984 by the German company Thyssen, as attested by a plaque fixed to their sides…The living quarters – five French-made carriages – comprised a lounge, a dining room, sleeping quarters and a seating area…

Modelling Iraqi railways

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

RMweb has some discussion of models which could be used to represent Iraqi Republic Railways locos.

Three or four years ago I went to a model railway show in Sutton, south London, where someone was selling imported Czech resin bodyshells for building models of various Czech(-oslovakian) locomotives. At least one of the bodies on show was suitable for an Iraqi loco – perhaps a T669. Unfortunately I didn’t buy one at the time, and I didn’t take the details of where they were made and who imported them. Does this sound familar to anyone? I could be tempted to acquire one now if anyone knows who the supplier is!

Anyway, an RMweb poster called Fosterboy has identified some possible candidates for conversion into models of IRR locos.


IRR DEM2200 loco.

Piko model of SNCF BB 567590
Piko SNCF BB 567590 model.


IRR DEM2700 loco
Bachmann model CD00301, DF4D Diesel Loco
Bachmann Chinese DF4D model


IRR DEM2800 I think you need the cabs of ??? and the body of ???
Unfortunately the links from RMweb to the Roco website have got mangled, and I can’t figure out a way to reverse engineer them, but this class has been described as “the body of a TE109, the front ends of a M62 and the roof fixtures of a 2TE121”, which could help pin down suitable models (why are so many model manufacturers’ websites so appallingly bad?).


The DES3100 is available as a brass kit
DK-Model brass T669 locomotive kit
DK-Model brass T669 locomotive kit

More suggestions would be very welcome!

Cleanup gets rails back on track

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Another press story from the US military. This one was dated 18 March 2008.

Iraqi Republic Railways at Camp Taji
Workers with the Iraqi republic railways clear debris, March 12, from the tracks on Camp Taji, Iraq. It has been four years since the tracks were last used and as a result they have fallen into disrepair. The yard at Taji is an important part of the railway’s future.

Cleanup Gets Rails Back on Track

By Staff Sgt. Bryant Maude
1st Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – It has been four years since a train powered its way onto Camp Taji, Iraq, and at least that long since any care or attention has been paid to the rail yard. As a result, a crew of ten Iraqi Republic Railway’s workers started the rigorous task of cleaning and repairing the neglected tracks.

Today they are repairing switches, placing derailed train cars back onto the tracks, and clearing debris,” said Staff Sgt. Gilbert Torress, a native of Fresno, Calif., and the sergeant of the guard with Detachment 1, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, a California National Guard unit attached to the 1st Sustainment Brigade. After this they will load containers on cars and test the tracks.”

These tracks are currently being renovated as part of an initiative to rebuild the railroad and it’s capabilities to move large volumes of cargo.

The trains pulling in here will carry mostly containers and Iraqi army materials bound for the maintenance facilities under the Taji National Depot,” said Maj. Ira Baldwin, a Laurinburg, N.C., native and mobility chief for the 1st Sustainment Brigade.

Every track cleaned and switch repaired is a step closer to a fully functioning railroad and the eventual creation of good paying jobs for Iraqi people.

Train runs through Taji

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

A story from US military press services DVIDS, dated 10 March 2008.

Iraqi Republic Railways DEM2716
Waving to spectators and honking the horn of his bright, green and red, locomotive, Mustapha the train conductor is the first Iraqi Republic Railways worker to make the journey along the old tracks between the central Baghdad rail yard in Baghdad and Camp Taji, in many years.

For the First Time in Several Years an Iraqi Republic Railways Locomotive Entered the Rail Gates at Camp Taji

By Staff Sgt. Bryant Maude
1st Sustainment Brigade, Public Affairs Office

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Waving to spectators and honking the horn of his bright, green and red, locomotive, Mustapha the train conductor, was the first Iraqi Republic Railways worker to make the journey along the old tracks between the central Baghdad rail yard in Baghdad and Camp Taji, in many years.

This historical journey was part of a proof-of-purpose designed to rebuild the tattered railway and stimulate the young economy; it was one small step in that direction for sure.

“An increased use of the rail infrastructure will translate to big dinars for the Iraqi economy,” said Maj. Ira Baldwin, Laurinburg, N.C., native and mobility chief for the 1st Sustainment Brigade.

As far as coalition forces are concerned, the new train will enable large movements of cargo between the port at Um Qasar and Camp Taji, creating greater logistical economies-of-scale.

“Since Taji is the closest secured location nearest Logistics Support Area-Anaconda the trains will allow a faster movement between the two,” stated Baldwin. “This will reduce the costs of moving cargo as compared to over the road, but the greater benefit is that trains will take a great number of Soldiers off the road which translates to lives saved.”

This concern for safety translated to a heavy presence of security forces on Camp Taji. Soldiers from Macedonia were on hand to inspect, Soldiers from Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment opened the rail gates, and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Detachment 1, 143rd Field Artillery, 1st Sustainment Brigade, Soldiers provided over watch.

“We are on the lookout for any suspicious activities along the route line,” stated Spc. Justin Cox, a native of Visalia, Calif., and artilleryman with HHB, Det. 1, 143rd FA.

Although there was no call for security intervention, like all things in life, this exercise did not come without challenges.

“There were at least two attempts prior to the successful engine proof of purpose,” said Baldwin. “The conductor’s house was raided and his son was arrested the night prior to the first scheduled POP; then later, there was another train carrying petroleum originating from Bajyi that was high jacked.”

In spite of the challenges, the train movement was a success. Compared to what occurred repeatedly back in 2004 at the height of the insurgency where seemingly every train was a moving target.

“The Multi-National Corps-Iraq future operation cell, the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, the Taji Base Defense Operations Cell, and the Soldiers of the 1st Sustainment Brigade came together and proved that joint efforts do work with close coordination and rehearsals,” stated Baldwin. “I am very proud of what the Iraqi people want to reestablish in regards to improving their lives.”

This increased use of the IRR will equate to increased income generated by local, national, and eventually international trade; overall, the rail industry will provide solid jobs for the Iraqi people as exampled by the conductor Mustapha who has been employed by the IRR for over 27 years.

“I am very lucky to be a part of history in the making by helping to make a train run through,” stated Baldwin.