Iran and Iraq has officially begun the construction of a long-awaited shalamcheh-Basra railroad.
The groundbreaking ceremony of the project was attended by Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani at the common border of the countries on Saturday.
The total time for the completion of the project, excluding the time needed for the construction of a bridge, is estimated at 18 months.
The map shows the distance between Iran's Shalamcheh and Iraq's Basra.
The project is part of the Khorramshahr-Basra railway which stretches 44 kilometers from southwestern Iran to Iraq.
12 kilometers of the Korramshahr-Basra from Khorramshahr to Shalamche had been completed by the Iranian side, but the Iraqi side had failed to carry out the Shalamche-Basra part within the Iraqi soil.
Once completed, the railway will connect Iran to the East Mediterranean countries.