Official: Three More Provinces to Join Iran Rail Network
Kheirollah Khademi, the CDTIC managing director who is also deputy road minister of Iran, described this year of 1402 in the Iranian calendar (beginning on March 21, 2023) as the most successful year for the Iranian government in developing the country’s railway network.
“With the opening of the Rasht-Anzali, Hamedan-Sanandaj and Mianeh - Ardabil Railway by the end of this year, along with the Bostan Abad-Khavran railway, which was already inaugurated earlier this year in June, three provincial capitals will be connected to the railway network in one year, which is unprecedented in the history of development of railways,” he said.
He said that Iran's government has planned to added 1,335 km to the country’s railway network, adding, "By the end of the government [in 2025], in addition to the above-mentioned projects, the Mobarakeh-Sefid Dasht-Shahrkord railway which is 90 km long, the Sabzevar-Mashhad railway (45 km), Birjand-Yunsi railway (50 km), Chabahar-Zahedan railway (628 km) and Durood-Khorramabad ( 115 km) projects will be completed until the end of this government.”
Khademi further pointed to the opening of the Rasht-Caspian railway in the North of the country as one of the other plans for this year, explaining, "This railway links the North and South of the country and is one of the most important transit corridors which connects Central Asia to Europe. After its operationalization, it will also connect the [Iranian] ports on the Persian Gulf to the Northern ports in the West of the Caspian Sea through railway, laying the ground for multimodal transportation (sea-rail).”
The deputy road minister further said that Tehran plans to inaugurate 271 kilometers to the country’s road network by the end of this year, explaining that the Isfahan-Shiraz highway which is 210 km long, Manjil-Roodbar highway (8 km), Maragheh-Hashtrod highway (29 km) long, and Tabriz-Soufian highway (24 km) are major road projects that are planned to become operational by March 19, 2024.
Saying that 2,761 km long of major motorways are becoming operational in the country, he continued, “Currently, 1,380 kilometers of new roads are under construction while other 1,882 kilometers are under consideration.”
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