Line 6 of Tehran Metro will open partially in December, Tehran Metro Group CEO told reporters.
Ali Emam said 10 kilometers and four stations of the 31km line will be launched in December, ISNA reported. The line starts from Sulqan in the northwest and ends in the Dolat-Abad working district in the southeast with 29 stations.
After hemming and hawing over the completion of the line, only 10km of the line linking Dolat-Abad to Imam Hussein Square will be launched.
Emam said, "Almost 90% of Line 6 tunnel has been completed.”
Before work started, Tehran Municipality had estimated the total cost of the line at 65 trillion rials ($448 million), or14 trillion rials ($96,500) per kilometer. But the TM now is reporting cost overruns, as usually is the case with major infrastructure and development projects undertaken by the state, government or its affiliates.
The company director also pointed to the unfinished Line 7. To build the required infrastructure, including power-lines and rails, the TM has issued investment bonds not attracting more than 7 trillion rials ($48.2million).
Emam said as soon as the money is transferred to Tehran Metro Group, machinery and equipment for Line 7 will be purchased. “If money is available, 11 stations of the line can become operational within three months.”
The 27km Line 7 connects the northwest to the southeastern regions, covering 25 stations. Initially, the TM estimated that it would cost 60 trillion rials ($413 billion), about 2.2 trillion rials ($15.3 million) per kilometer.
Line 7 was scheduled for launch in 2015, but after three years and billions in costs and overheads, thanks to negligence and poor management of past managers, only seven stations have been built.
In addition to the lines 6 and 7, Tehran’s subway comprises five main lines (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) with nearly 100 stations. The total length of the subway is 204 km.
Subway commute has increased significantly in recent years and currently, about 4 million people use the trains every day. The municipality expects traffic to increase by 25% after lines 6 and 7 are up and running.
