TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iran's Minister of Road and Urban Development Abbas Akhondi will visit Iraq on Monday afternoon in a bid to pursue a plan to connect the railroad networks of the two neighboring countries.

Speaking to reporters in Shalamcheh, a town near the border with Iraq, Akhondi said that the railroad track in Iran will be extended up to Shalamcheh and then connected to Iraq's railroad via a bridge.

On December 31, Iranian and Iraqi transport ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for expansion of railroad transportation cooperation.

Under the deal, the two sides agreed to build 37 km of railroad between Shalamcheh in Iran and Basra in Iraq, thus linking the two countries� railroads.

The project will make it possible for the neighboring countries to raise the volume of commercial and economic transactions through transport of more cargoes and passengers.

The agreement envisions construction of a 700-meter suspension bridge over Arvand River as a requisite for the connection of Iran-Iraq railroads.

�I will visit Iraq today to discuss the details of the issue with the Iraqi side and reach an agreement,� Akhondi announced, saying that when the construction of the bridge is completed, rail transport between Iran and Iraq will become possible.

Earlier in December, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the spokesman for the Iranian administration, noted that the order to link Iran�s railroad network with that of Iraq has been issued by the cabinet.

"This project can be beneficial for further communication between the two neighboring countries and the two nations, especially for the pilgrims traveling to the holy city of Karbala," Nobakht said.

By Tasnim News Agency