Ardabil-Mianeh Railroad to Become Operational by March

Ardabil-Mianeh railroad project is expected to come on stream by the end of the current Iranian year (March 2023), a deputy minister of roads and urban development said, adding that the project has made 87% progress so far.
“The 175-kilometer-long railroad, which connects the northwestern province of Ardabil to the national rail network, has been 17 years in the making and is now in its final stages of construction,” Kheirollah Khademi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Saturday.
The official noted that the longest rail bridge in Iran (4.2 kilometers) runs along this railroad. 
“Once completed, freight trains can travel on this railroad at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour and passenger trains at 160 km/ph. The capacity of freight and passenger transportation in the first year of the project’s inauguration will be 9,000 tons and 700,000 respectively. The figures will increase to 20 million tons and 1.5 million in 20 years,” he said.
Khademi, who doubles as CEO of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company of Iran, noted that the project has 12 sections, 35% of which pass through mountainous regions.
“This is one of the most difficult and challenging rail projects of our country, which demanded sophisticated engineering and technical expertise,” he said.