The government’s five prioritized rail projects, namely Khash-Zahedan, Bostanabad-Tabriz, Mianeh-Ardabil, Hamedan-Sanandaj and Rasht-Caspian, have made an average progress of 75% and all are expected to come on stream within a year, according to a deputy minister of roads and urban development.
“With the track-laying of Khash-Zahedan coming to an end, this project has been completed and is ready to be launched. The route is a segment of Chabahar-Zahedan railroad and with its inauguration, this mega project moved one step closer to its launch,” Kheirollah Khademi was also quoted as saying by the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
The official added that the 44-kilometer-long Bostanabad-Tabriz railroad, which is a short cut between the provincial capital of East Azarbaijan Province and Tehran, has so far made 95% progress and will be ready for inauguration within the next few months.
“When completed, the railroad will cut Tabriz-Tehran travel time by 4 to 5 hours,” he said.
“Mianeh-Ardabil rail project, which will connect Ardabil Province to the national rail network, has had an 85% progress up until now, and estimates are that it will be ready for inauguration next year.”
Khademi, who doubles as CEO of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company of Iran, added that Hamedan-Sanandaj railroad project has so far made 80% progress, which will connect Kurdestan Province to the national rail system upon completion.
“Rasht-Caspian railroad, which is a missing link in the International North-South Transportation Corridor, has had 70% progress to date and will be ready for launch by the end of the current Iranian year [March 20, 2023]. The railroad will help connect the Persian Gulf in the south of the country to the Caspian Sea in the north.”
Iran has more than 14,000 kilometers of railroads.
