Public Transport Expansion Poses Funding Challenges

Public transportation expansion projects have become a challenging task for managers in Iranian metropolises because of rising demand on the government’s budget.
However, officials are making efforts in Tehran and Isfahan to overcome the funding shortcomings.
According to the Persian newspaper Hamshahri, the government intends to use the National Development Fund to help Tehran Municipality buy 630 subway cars and 3,000 new buses.
The arrangement was announced on Wednesday when Es’haq Jahangiri, first vice president, and Mohsen Hashemi, chairman of Tehran City Council, discussed ways of expanding the capital’s public transportation network.
Mohammad Alikhani, the head of TCC's Transportation Commission, told the media that the government will transfer the budget as soon as experts estimate the price and select the supplier companies.
Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi told the media that since Nov. 15—when the government rationed and tripled fuel prices—authorities have stressed that the revenue saved will be spent on people's welfare in different areas, one of which is public transportation.
He called on government bodies to fulfill their promise and support Tehran Municipality in upgrading the dilapidated bus fleet and equipping the urban subway system.