Iraq Railways...
Iraq is not the most popular tourist destination at the moment. But trains are running again between Baghdad and Basra, the main city on the Gulf, equipped with air-conditioning and sleepers.
Baghdad - Basra train schedule & fares
Useful country information
Baghdad to Basra
An overnight train links Baghdad with Basra every day. The distance by rail is 541 km (336 miles).
Service was reduced from daily to 3 per week due to Covid-19, it was restored to daily in 2023.
You must be at the station 1 hour before departure for mandatory luggage check.
How much does it cost?
How to buy tickets
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Buy tickets at the station. There is no online booking.
Traveller's report
Traveller Andrew Palmer travelled Basra to Baghdad in 2024: "I was only able to buy a ticket on the day of the journey, and only at the station itself. I tried to buy a ticket a couple of days in advance at the station but it wasn't possible. While waiting at the platform, everyone's bags were set in a row along the middle of the platform and finally a sniffer dog was taken to sniff at all the bags around 7pm. The train left the station at 7:30pm. The berths were reasonably clean. There is AC, pillows, blankets and a couple of electricity outlets in the compartment. There is a dining car where you can get cheap kebabs, tea, chocolate and Pepsi. The train arrived in Baghdad at 6am. Luggage was again assembled on the platform where it was checked."
What is the train like?
The train is currently a Chinese-built air-conditioned train with a power car at each end, featuring 4-berth sleepers, a handful of 2-berth sleepers, ordinary seats and a buffet car. The train was only built in 2015, although dust from the desert takes its toll and you'll find some windows cracked from children throwing stones. The sleepers are in 4-berth compartments, the sleeping-cars are locked off from the seats part of the train.
Baghdad station
Baghdad Central station was built 1949-1953, designed by British architect JM Wilson, who had been an assistant to Lutjens in New Delhi. See station location map.
More information
If anyone has any more information. photos or travel reports that would be useful for this page, please e-mail me!