Iraq completes return trips for Arbaeen visitors, ministry says

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Ministry of Transport has completed return trips for visitors who came to Karbala for Arbaeen, the commemoration marking the fortieth day after Ashura, Deputy Minister Hazim al-Hafiz said. Train operations bringing visitors back concluded overnight, and the ministry has resumed normal work at the main garage in Karbala. Ministry-affiliated buses operated on the Karbala-Baghdad route as far as the 54th checkpoint in al-Wand, and on the Karbala-Babylon route up to the Husseiniya district, al-Hafiz said. He added that private transport companies on different routes provided sufficient capacity and smooth traffic flow for returning pilgrims. The ministry's coordination role is now continuing as usual at the central garage in Karbala, working with staff from the General Private Transport Administration Company. Crowding in areas designated for passenger boarding and disembarking during the Arbaeen period has eased.