Tüvasaş has built 14 coaches for Iraqi Republic Railways, including 2 sleeping, 4 couchette and 2 restaurant cars pic.twitter.com/CM4IdLrKvC
— Railway Gazette (@railwaygazette) January 14, 2015
IRR
Derailment response vehicle for IRR
One of 7 Zagro derailment response vehicles ordered by Iraqi Republic Railways, on show at #InnoTrans pic.twitter.com/J0HmL5iUER
— Railway Gazette (@railwaygazette) September 26, 2014
Iraqi Republic Railways orders new trains
On 15 December 2012 Iraqi Republic Railways signed a US$115m contract for Chinese firm Dongfang Electric Corp to supply 10 diesel multiple-units. Not much detail seems to have emerged yet, but apparently they will be to a high specification, with a top speed of 160 km/h.
Gaziantep to Mosul in 2010
See also the German-language discussions with lots of photos (including blue diesel locos) at Drehscheibe Online.
Locomotives at Baghdad station
Some photos taken by Dave James at Baghdad Central station on 25/26 September 2011. Interesting to see a Lugansk DEM2800 locomotive, as most recent photos seem to show the DEM2700 class (CNR Dalian type DF10FI).
Iraqi Republic Railways locomotive number DEM2809, a Lugansk-built type TE114I.
DEM2809, with what looks like a Thyssen-Henschel/EMD DEM2500 in the background, behind the vans on the right.
The plinthed steam locomotive.
Photos from Baghdad Central station
Иракские железные дороги is a Russian language webpage with some photos of railways in Baghdad, including Chinese and Turkish built diesel locomotives.
Sand removal machines arrive
Kershaw Sand Removal Machines delivered to Iraqi Republic Railways
Date: March 29, 2010
Al-Burhan Group has delivered two sand removal machines to Iraqi Republic Railways (IRR), as part of a contract signed in November 2008. The machines reached Umm Qasr Port on Saturday, the 27th of March 2010. The 46-6 Kershaw Sand Removal Machines had been shipped from the United States, from Kershaw / Progress Rail – Railway Division of Caterpillar. They will provide a fast and efficient means of managing drifting sand on IRR tracks and are needed in Western where sand covers the railway tracks extensively.
Thomas Cook on Iraqi rail services
World’s worst services: The night train to Basra
Whenever you feel depressed about the state of the railways in Britain, just turn to the latest ‘Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable’. The new edition is a bargain at £13.99, the Bible for terrestrial travellers beyond the bounds of Europe. But the tireless compilers have their work cut out to promote travel by train when so many nations appear to be doing their best to dismantle the railways.
[…]
But there is one glimmer of hope in an unlikely location: “We have had a report that there is now a night train between Baghdad and Basra. It apparently leaves three times a week (which days are unknown) at 1600 and takes 18 hours with no stops en route.”
Source: The Independent 2009-07-08
Locomotives in action in Basra
Two photographs by Matt Fallon showing Iraqi Republic Railways locomotives in action at Al Malqal, the port at Basra.
DEM2817 is one of 30 locomotives supplied by Ukraine’s Lugansk Locomotive Works.
The diesel shunter is from Turkish firm Tülomsas.
Iraqi passenger services in The Times
The Times had a couple of articles about passenger services in Iraq last week.
One is Iraq’s struggle to get railway back on track after neglect and war (14 April 2009). It seems the Baghdad – Dora commuter service is somewhat unsuccessful, but “Against the odds, the minister has reopened a nightly passenger route between Baghdad and Basra. A train also runs every Friday to Samarra, a holy city to the north of the capital, carrying pilgrims to its golden-domed shrine. Last month a weekly service resumed between Baghdad and Fallujah.”
In Taken for a ride in Baghdad… (13 April 2009) the newspaper’s Baghdad Correspondent, Deborah Haynes, decribes how the Ministry of Transport organised a press trip on the commuter train … but something wasn’t quite right about it.