Line 1 will run for 18km from Sadr City in the
northeast to the city centre, turning northwest to pass through Al
Khulani and along the eastern bank of the Tigris River before
terminating at Antar Square. It will have 20 stations . The second line
will run from the southeastern district of Al Fath, intersecting with
Line 1 at Al Khulani before crossing the Tigris to serve the west of
the city. Line 2 will be 22km long with 21 stations.
Both the
Mayoralty and Systra say they are confident of reaching an agreement in
the next few weeks and design work could begin as soon as September.
A
metro network was first proposed in Baghdad in the 1970s, but the plans
were shelved soon after the start of the war with Iran in 1980. The plans have been revived to alleviate road congestion, which has grown rapidly as a result of relaxation of the rules on car ownership following the Iraq War.
