Najaf to get Iraq's first rapid transit system

Najaf: The Iraqi shrine city of Najaf, whose mediaeval-style alleyways host millions of Shiite travellers every year, has signed a deal for a monorail to rival that of ultra-modern Dubai, a provincial official said Sunday.

The city, which is home to the grand ayatollahs who wield huge influence among Iraq's Shiite majority community, will be the first in the country to get a rapid transit system, with proposals for a Baghdad metro still very much on the drawing board.

The monorail will ferry travellers between Najaf's most revered shrines, the Mausoleum of Imam Ali in the city centre and the Grand and Al Sahla mosques in Kufa, 10km to the west, provincial investment committee member Anwar Al Habubi said.

The system, which is due for completion within three years, will also provide links to the city's two main bus stations, he added.

In a later phase of the project, the provincial council plans to connect the network to the city's international airport, opened two years ago to serve the tens of thousands of Shiites who travel from Iran, Lebanon, south Asia and elsewhere.

The monorail will run at an elevation of six metres above the city's streets, Al Habubi said. The network, much of which will be twin-track, will have a combined length of 37km.

Canada-based international engineering consortium TransGlobim International Inc is to build the $248 million (Dh910.6 million) system, which is scheduled for completion within three years, Al Habubi added.

"Construction will start right away as the project already has its investment licence," he said.

Globim said on its website that the project entailed financing and operating the network over a 30-year concession period as well as the survey, design and construction work.

Blast protection

"Guideway design will accommodate blast protection," the firm said on its website referring to the concrete track and supports which carry the monorail.

Protection against bomb blasts is an important consideration in a city where Shiites have come under repeated attack by Sunni hardliners, including militants from Al Qaida.

"All guideway components will be pre-cast and assembled on site," the company added.

It said construction would take two years after completion of the survey and design work.

Service frequency on the network will vary in accordance with the rhythm of the traffic. In total, Najaf welcomes around 70 million faithful to its holy places every year but the numbers fluctuate widely from day to day.

"Currently, Najaf hosts more than 5,000 visitors per day Saturday to Wednesday peaking to 20,000 visitors per day on the weekend — Thursday/Friday," the company said.