I traveled on the Baghdad-Basra night train in September 2023. It was a beautiful journey, if a little surreal that I was able to travel freely in a country with such a troubled past. If you’re interested in hearing about my personal experience taking this train, I’ll be covering it in another blog post a little later. For now, I’ll just break down the need-to-know logistics and other key information below, so you can give the journey a go for yourself.
A little bit of background…
The Baghdad-Basra train line is all that remains of a long history marked by war, and occupation. Iraqi railways began in 1914 with the construction of the Berlin-Baghdad Railway during the Ottoman period. After World War I, under British control, the rail network expanded to major cities like Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul. This development continued through the mid-20th century and has played a vital role in Iraq’s economy, especially where transporting oil is concerned. Decades of conflict, including the Iran-Iraq War, theGulf War, and the 2003 Iraq War resulted in severe damage to the railway infrastructure. Stations, buildings and trains were destroyed, or looted.
Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the country had 3,300 km (2,000 miles) of railway connecting major cities from the north to Basra in the south, extending to neighboring countries like Turkey and Syria via Mosul. Iraq has since been trying to revive the rail network but rebuilding and modernizing the railway system has proven to be a slow endeavor; this is mainly due to security and economic challenges.
Tips when visiting Iraq
Thinking of doing Baghdad to Basra by train? Here’s a few things you need to know:
- Find out if you can get an on-arrival visa. On the 15th of March 2021, pre-arrival visa requirements for citizens from 37 countries were scrapped and citizens from those countries can now get on-arrival visas at approved land, sea and air border crossings. Further information can be found here: Obtaining an entry visa upon arrival – Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq (mofa.gov.iq)
- If visiting Federal & Kurdistan Iraq, go to Federal Iraq first. If you are planning on visiting both Federal and Kurdistan Iraq it’s better to arrive in Federal Iraq first (usually, by flight into Baghdad). The visa you’ll obtain here covers both Federal Iraq and Kurdistan Iraq, whereas the Kurdistan Iraq visa only covers Kurdistan.
- Do your research and understand the country. Although major conflicts in Iraq have stopped and things are a lot more stable, you are entering a country where things can change at any moment. Be prepared to see heavily armed guards, roadside checkpoints and expect to encounter a fair amount of inquiry as to why you’re visiting the country. In my experience, Iraqi people are some of the kindest, warmest and most interesting I have ever met, but as this is a country only recently opened fully to tourism, people are still very cautious. Be polite, respectful and honest, and you won’t have any problems.
- Check your government travel advice. Be aware you will be traveling at your own risk. The UK Government advises against all travel to Federal Iraq and advises against all but essential travel to Kurdistan Iraq. You may need to get specialist travel insurance depending on your provider.
- Carry your passport at all times. I usually only do this in countries where there are frequent checkpoints or a higher risk to security. In Iraq, I was asked several times for my passport when at checkpoints, attractions, and at the train station.
Baghdad – Basra Train Timetable
Trains depart daily in both directions; the service was reduced to three times weekly during Covid but is now back up and running as usual. The total journey distance is 541 km (336 mi).
The train does call at Nasiriyah if you’re interested in stopping off there, but I’m not sure of the exact timings.
Baghdad – Basra Train Ticket Cost
The cost of tickets vary based on whether you’re buying a standard seat or a two or four-berth sleeper carriage. This is an overnight train and as the train tickets are quite reasonably priced, I think it’s definitely worth paying the extra for a sleeper. If you’re opting for a standard seat, make sure you’ve packed your earplugs and eye mask!
How to buy tickets at Baghdad Central Station
Please note that you cannot buy tickets in advance online or at Baghdad Central Station. You can only purchase on the day of departure.
I found out that you can’t buy tickets in advance the hard way, following two failed attempts. The first time, we were turned away by heavily armed and slightly baffled looking guards, and the second time we were taken to see the security manager, who dutifully explained where we were going wrong.
Once we’d established we could only purchase tickets on the day of travel, the process was pretty straightforward:
- Arrive at Baghdad Central Station on the day of departure. I used the Careem taxi app as it was a long walk from the hotel.
- The main entrance gate is to the right hand side along the front of the station building and you will be greeted by several friendly, but armed guards.
- Tell them you want to buy a train ticket for today, they will check your passport and let you through.
- Once you enter the train station, walk through the center and on the right hand side you will see the open ticket booth. There are 3 other ticket booths to areas where the train no longer travels to.
- At the ticket counter the member of staff spoke good English and it was very easy, like any other overseas train station. I requested a 2-berth sleeper for my friend, handed over the passports/payment and the tickets were issued.
- Leave the station the same way you entered, and return about one hour before the train is due to depart.
I did take some photos both inside the station and outside the building, though I’m not sure if this was technically allowed. Fortunately, we were the only people in there besides the staff.
Boarding the train
On arrival at the station for departure we walked through the interior hall and sat outside on the station platform. There were several tracks in front of us but as there was only one train departing daily, it was easy to work out which platform we needed.
Once we were sat on the platform it was a matter of waiting to be told what to do. There were security guards wandering around and another member of staff who spent most of the time we waited talking to us about Iraq, his family and the reality of Iraq for the people who live here (this lovely chap turned out to be the station manager).
After about an hour of waiting, the boarding process was as follows:
- Wait on the station platform until you are told what to do next. Your passport and tickets will be checked throughout the departure process, so have these documents ready.
- You will be asked to line all of your luggage up on the platform to allow the dog and security guards to check all of the baggage. It might seem a little thorough, but keep in mind that this is a standard process for all passengers.
- Once your bags are checked you can board the train.It wasn’t immediately obvious from our tickets which carriage we needed to be on, but the security guard very kindly led us to the right carriage and cabin.
If you’re at all unsure what to do when boarding the train, my advice is: wait patiently, and you will be told what you need to do. It’ll be pretty obvious that you’re a tourist, and in our experience the staff at the station were nothing but kind, helpful and keen to make sure we arrived in Basra safely.
What is the Baghdad – Basra Train like?
The trains are Chinese-built and air conditioned, with a mix of two-berth, four-berth and standard seating. There is also a buffet car on the train, where you can buy food and drinks. The carriages we walked through to get to our two- berth cabin were clean, and included bedding as standard. You had a pillow, sheet and blanket, already laid out for you. This is standard practice on most sleeper train services I’ve been on.
The two-berth compartment was spacious; it included a sink, TV, storage cupboards, fridge and plug sockets, though I will say that the plug sockets were the only electrical items that actually worked! The toilets were clean and located at the end of each carriage.
We felt very safe throughout the journey. If your journey is anything like mine, there will be security guards traveling on the train with you the entire time and they’ll be easy to approach should you have any questions or concerns. All in all, the journey was relaxing, the time passing comfortably and without incident.
An unforgettable experience
No matter how many countries or places I visit, there will still always be some experiences that feel so ‘out there’ that I can’t fully comprehend them or put them into perspective at the time. Travelling on the night train between Baghdad and Basra was one of these experiences. I’d recommend it to anyone, especially someone like me (i.e. a bit of a train nerd). Experiencing a train journey like this in a country with one of the most turbulent histories was certainly a ‘pinch me’ kind of moment.
Iraq is a country that – for many people in the western world – has some less than positive associations. My experience was a real eye-opener in that it showed me just how wrong our perceptions can be about this part of the world, and the people who live there. My visit to Baghdad train station was no exception; the staff were friendly and eager to look after us from the moment we entered the station premises. We met some lovely people, had interesting conversations, and slept soundly without any security concerns.
It could be that I was just lucky to experience such warmth and hospitality from the people we met on this journey, but I personally think that this is the reality of what most people are truly like. It was a fantastic experience and I’d go back in a heartbeat. (As it happens, I did go back! Stay tuned for my upcoming Iraq 2024 post).