ANKARA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Train service between Turkey and Iraq is to begin on Saturday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

    Turkish Railways (TCDD) and Iraqi Railways (IRR) officials, who gathered in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday and Friday, agreed to launch train service between Gaziantep and Mosul as of Jan. 16, according to the report.

    The first run will take off on Saturday from Mosul to Gaziantepand the second will be from Gaziantep to Mosul on Jan. 18, said the report.

    There will be scheduled train voyages from Mosul every Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. and from Gaziantep every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. local time, the report added.

    The service fare for the 18-hour ride will be between 25 to 35 euros (35 to 49 U.S. dollars).