PRT SALAH AD DIN: TRYING TO REHABILITATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000217 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2019 TAGS: ECON ELTN EINV ETRD IZ SUBJECT: PRT SALAH AD DIN: TRYING TO REHABILITATE ESSENTIAL RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE Classified By: PRT Team Leader Rick Bell; reason 1.4 (d). ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Salah ad Din reporting cable. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: In response to security improvements in Salah ad Din (SaD),the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) has begun efforts to restore the operational capacity of the Bayji Iraq Republic Railway (BIRR) Station. The PRT expects this effort will positively impact the economy as workers return to their jobs at this essential piece of industrial infrastructure and begin restoring the transportation node that historically connected the large industrial plants located in the Bayji area, such as the Oil Refinery and Fertilizer Plant, with other parts of Iraq and export markets in Syria and Turkey. Remaining obstacles to restoring the BIRR to operational capacity include connecting the plant to the power grid, replacing essential equipment that was lost to looters in 2003, and putting adequate security in place. Local officials report that the MOT has been slow to respond to requests for assistance. END SUMMARY. -------------- BIRR DG WORKING TO FIX INFRASTRUCTURE -------------- ¶3. (U) Improved security has allowed (MOT) workers to return to their jobs at the BIRR. In August 2008, BIRR Director General Waiel Kamal al-A,ani and fifteen of his leading engineers (many of them Shiites) returned from Baghdad, where they had been displaced since 2003, and began working to rehabilitate the station. The BIRR discontinued operations in 2003 after much of its equipment was stolen by looters. -------------- -------------- BIRR ESSENTIAL TO INDUSTRIAL CAPACITY IN NORTHERN IRAQ -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) The BIRR Station is the central hub and rail control point for the 200 kilometers of railroad lines running north, south, east and west through Bayji. The BIRR connects the industrial and fuel refining capacities in Bayji with the lines running into al- Anbar and northern Iraq, and lines extending south through Baghdad all the way to the Port of Umm Qasr. The BIRR, which was built by Hyundai Corporation in 1982, is the largest railroad station and railcar repair facility in Iraq. Historically, the BIRR was the transportation hub for industrial inputs and outputs running from the Bayji Oil Refinery, Fertilizer Plant, and Vegetable Oil Plant, and the Mishraq sulfur deposits near Mosul. -------------- Limited Support from MOT -------------- ¶6. (C) BIRR officials have complained to the PRT that the relevant officials at the Ministry of Transportation and Iraq Republic Railways (IRR) in Baghdad have been unresponsive to their requests for security support, electricity and equipment. DG al- A,ani has told the PRT that the Director General of the IRR was recently replaced; he hoped that the ministry might now become more receptive to his requests for support. -------------- NEEDED INPUTS FOR RESTORING CAPACITY -------------- ¶7. (U) Electricity: The BIRR is currently connected to the 11KV line on the Bayji municipal grid, which is not adequate to power the station; it provides only 4 hours of power a day. In 2003, looters stole the BIRR,s five electric substations and nearly 2 kilometers of cable. The Bayji Director for the Ministry of Electricity has plans to install one transformer and a switch to reconnect the station to the 33KV line, which powers the industrial plants around Bayji. The local CF Battalion (2-27 INF) and Qaround Bayji. The local CF Battalion (2-27 INF) and the PRT are putting together a CERP package to coordinate the first steps in reconnecting the BIRR to the 33KV powerline. ¶8. (U) Tandem Wheel Re-Profiling Machine: This critical machine re-profiles railcar wheels to allow them to run properly on rails. The machine in place at the BIRR does not work because looters removed the BAGHDAD 00000217 002 OF 002 motors, hydraulic pumps, and wiring panels. It will need to be repaired or replaced before rail service can begin. ¶9. (C) Security. The station has a 14 kilometer perimeter and limited physical security to guard the millions of dollars worth of buildings, equipment, and materials. The BIRR will need a new enclosure fence, additional forces and a modernized security system. The BIRR DG has already requested 6 kilometers of 4 meter t-walls, which will secure the perimeter and partially shield it from an area where there have been repeated instances of small arms fire. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (C) The BIRR is a critical piece of transportation infrastructure with linkage across a range of industries in SaD and other regions of Iraq. The BIRR management is taking the right steps to bring the station back into operational capacity. Engagement with the national level is needed to bring its efforts to fruition. CROCKER