The domestic engineering and energy giant, MAPNA Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding for the project to extend the capital’s subway to the working district of Eslamshahr in the capital’s southwest.
The MoU was signed by Eslamshahr Mayor Mohsen Hamidi and CEO of MAPNA Rail Construction and Development Company Reza Javaheri during a recent ceremony, MAPNA’s website reported.
The EPC+F (engineering, procurement, construction and financing) contract stipulates the engineering, procurement and installation of electrical and mechanical equipment of Eslamshahr subway project, in addition to facilitating the project’s funding.
Javaheri hoped that the agreement will expedite the execution of the project that has made poor progress in the past few years.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mohsen Hamidi said the number of daily urban travels in Eslamshahr exceeds 250,000 and the nearest subway station is 17 kilometers away 17 kilometers away from the county’s central area, which created difficulties for those who commuted to other parts of the province for work or study.
“The opening of the metro station, connecting the county to the capital's subway system, would relieve a significant amount of traffic congestion in Eslamshahr. As a result, the municipality has declared the plan to extend Tehran Metro’s Line 3 by another 15 kilometers, which will be carried out in two phases with a length of 10 km and 5 km, respectively,” he added.
Hamidi noted that the project extends Line 3 of Tehran Metro from Azadegan Junction to the southwest and calls for building two new stations, one at Chahardangeh and the other at Eslamshahr.
“In the long run, such major projects will help Eslamshahr attract urban development investors,” he said, noting that the nerve-racking traffic and the permanent smog in Eslamshahr have worsened.
The eco-friendly transportation will help reduce the capital’s chronic air pollution and ease traffic jams.
Financial Issues
Eslamshahr’s subway project requires 13 trillion rials ($47 million), one of the county’s municipal officials said.
According to Reza Qasemi, 3.6 kilometers of tunneling for the Eslamshhar subway have been completed in the last 18 months, at a cost of 2 trillion rials ($7.2 million).
“The progress represents 35% of the construction,” the official said, adding that more funds should be injected to expedite the project.
Qasemi noted that the government allocated approximately 3.5 trillion rials ($12.6 million) to the subway project in the 2021-22 budget bill and the construction is expected to be completed in at least three years.
Finance and the implementation of extension project, proposed in 2010, are handled by Tehran Municipality.
Eslamshahr is located near Tehran City. According to the municipality's rules and regulations, TM is not allowed to invest in development projects outside the city of Tehran. Therefore, although feasibility studies were carried out in 2010, the project was suspended.
Subway construction costs vary in different countries, depending on land value, construction costs and raw material prices.
For instance, Madrid's Metrosur line is 41 km long with 28 stations. It was completed in four years for about $58 million per kilometer. Singapore’s Circle Line runs 35 km with 28 stations and cost $4.8 billion, or $130 million/km.
In Iran, subway construction averages $15.8 million per kilometer.
Stretching over 253 kilometers across the capital, Tehran Metro comprises seven lines (Line 1 to 7) and 130 operating stations.
Transportation, Traffic and Air Pollution
Efficient public transportation is crucial for curbing traffic and air pollution.
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani says, "Expanding the subway is key to curbing air pollution and safeguarding public wellbeing."
Traffic in Tehran and its satellite cities has become tortuous, particularly during rush hours. Population growth, poor public transportation and the large-scale use of private vehicles have created conditions not many can bear and families are slowly but steadily moving out and looking for home and work in other cities.
The bad pollution becomes worse in winter when the freezing temperature and air pollution make living and working a challenging enterprise.
However, it gives some relief to see that subway commute has increased significantly in recent years and three million people are currently using the trains every day.
Tehran Municipality expects the number to climb by a massive 25% after the subway’s lines 6 and 7 are up and running. But this is definitely not enough for Tehran where, according to statistics, over 15 million people commute by different means every day, many from the surrounding cities and towns.
Projects like expansion of the subway to downtown Eslamshahr are expected to make life easier for the millions who use public transport because it’s cheaper, faster and cleaner.
