Tehran-Isfahan express railway will be tracklaid in the near future, Abbas Akhoundi, the minister of roads and urban development said in a news conference on Monday. Traveling at 300 kilometers per hour, the new railway connects Tehran to Isfahan via Imam Khomeini International airport (IKIA), and the central province of Qom, IRNA quoted the minister as saying. Upon establishment, the new railway is expected to meet the urgent demand of IKIA passengers for having an easy access to Tehran, he added.
Meanwhile, Yousef Granpasha, an official in Islamic Republic of Iran Railways says only less than 10 percent of transportation across the country is done via railway, while the average cost of railway transportation is one seventh of that of road transportation. "The cost of transporting passengers and cargo via roads stands at $20 billion a year, while it can be reduced to $3 billion by taking advantage of national railway," he said. The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways is planning to increase the present 10 percent share of domestic railway network in domestic transportation to 25 percent in the near future.
