The French industrial Group Alstom has signed an initial agreement with the Iraqi government in order to establish a metro network in Baghdad, Nuqudy.com reported. This project comes in order to limit congestion in the capital.

The executive director of the company in Southern Europe, Africa and Middle East told journalists when signing the agreement with the Baghdad mayor Mr Salah Abd Arrazak that it's a very important agreement. This agreement lets us take the necessary steps to reach a final one in the coming months.

The French Group refused to disclose the value of the agreement but indicated that the project which will include 26 kilometers network and 16 station metro lines will be worked on for the next five years following the final agreement signature. Baghdad suffers from an ongoing congestion due to the procedures taken by police and army forces against the violence.

Mr Abd Arrazak estimated that the project value will be about USD 1.5 billion and said that the Iraqi government will finance it through a French loan. He also considered that this is the first vital project in Baghdad since the fall of the former regime.

(Sourced from www1.albawaba.com)