Iraq’s Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, that the engineering designs for the strategic Development Road project are nearing completion. The designs are expected to be finished before the end of this year, paving the way for construction to begin in 2027.
The ministry said the project is expected to create more than one million jobs over its lifetime, including 100,000 jobs during the first phase.
Speaking to Al Iraqiya News, Ministry of Transport spokesperson Ali Al-Khalidi said the technical designs for the high-speed railway network are more than 95% complete, while the designs for the parallel highway have reached 92%.
He described the multi-billion-dollar project as a major transport route that will connect the Gulf with Europe. The first phase is expected to become operational by 2033.
The road and railway network will begin at the Grand Faw Port in Basra and pass through several parts of Iraq, including Dhi Qar, Al-Muthanna, Al-Diwaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, southern Anbar, Abu Ghraib in Baghdad, Samarra, and Mosul. It will end at Fishkhabur on the Iraqi-Turkish border.
Al-Khalidi said technical and commercial talks are still ongoing with international infrastructure companies. Iraq is also coordinating with Turkey through joint working committees. However, final contracts for the main engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) packages have not yet been awarded.
The project goes beyond building a highway and railway. Its broader plan includes modern passenger stations, logistics hubs, smart communities, and dedicated industrial and residential areas along the route.
The aim is to create a major economic corridor that improves transport links, supports job creation, and helps Iraq diversify its economy beyond its reliance on oil.