The development of subway system in the Iranian capital city, Tehran, is a challenging task for urban managers, as officials struggle to make the best out of the least available resources to provide an acceptable subway transportation system for citizens.
Providing an overview of Tehran Metro Company’s development schemes for the current Iranian year (started March 20), Ali Emam, the company’s CEO, said although the lack of financial resources has impeded projects, 11 stations will become operational by the end of the current fiscal year (March 2021), ISNA reported.
The capital's subway stretches over 220 kilometers and comprises seven lines (1 to 7) with nearly 120 stations. Lines 6 and 7 are yet to become fully operational.
Emam said 7 kilometers of Line 6 along its northwestern flank, covering six stations, is ready for launch, and in its southern segment, the line will have two new stations.
In Line 7, he added, four new stations will start operations.
The schemes also envisage equipping the already operating and new stations with elevators, escalators, signage, ventilation system and lighting.
The budget bill passed for 2020-21 earmarks 28 trillion rials ($158.6 million) for Tehran Metro development
Tehran Metro Company’s CEO said the completion of two transportation terminals at Shahrak-e Ekbatan and Kolahdouz stations in the far western and eastern part of Line 4 is high on the current year’s agenda.
Referring to financial issues, he said the budget bill passed for 2020-21 earmarks 28 trillion rials ($158.6 million) for Tehran Metro’s expansion.
Emam noted that last year, Tehran Metro earned 10 trillion rials ($56.6 million) by selling participatory bonds via a local agent bank.
Of the total amount, the bank paid only a small portion to the company and 9.1 trillion ($51.1 million) of which are yet to be delivered.
Normally, Tehran Metro handles over 5 million travels a day. According to Tehran Municipality, the number of commuters will surge by 25% after the unfinished subway lines are up and running.
But this is definitely not sufficient for Tehran where, according to statistics, over 10 million people commute daily, many from the surrounding cities and towns.
Subway Shortfalls
Tehran subway development has seen stoppage, financially hard days and lags that are mainly blamed by experts on mismanagement and lack of budget.
In early May, Mohammad Alikhani, the head of Transportation Commission of Tehran City Council, said the capital city’s subway system faces serious shortcomings that will not be obviated even in two decades, if policymaking processes and budget management are not overhauled.
“The subway network still lacks 3,000 train cars to facilitate 10 million daily travels … There are around 1,300 wagons currently operating in Tehran’s subway, 30% of which need to be upgraded,” he said.
Alikhani blamed the frustrating situation on US sanctions and said earlier, each train car cost 50 billion rials ($283,000).
But since the Iranian rial considerably lost its value against the greenback after sanctions were renewed in the summer of 2018, each wagon now costs 170 billion rials ($963,000), which is too expensive.
The US dollar was sold at 176,000 rials on Monday while it fetched 42,000 rials in March 2018.
Outside Help
Various state-backed and industrial institutions, however, are assisting Tehran Metro managers to materialize a decent subway system.
Last week, Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh wrote on Twitter that the ministry has invested $15 million to help expand the capital’s subway transportation network.
Zanganeh noted that the money has been supplied from revenue generated from fuel price rationing scheme introduced in November 2019.
“The ministry paid 8.3% of the financial aid to Tehran Metro in mid-February and the remaining 91.6% were delivered in April,” he said.
“The monetary aid is expected to help Tehran Metro Company develop the city’s subway system and ease challenges faced by the company.”
Earlier in January, Esfahan Steel Company signed an agreement with Tehran Metro Company for providing 800 tons of rails to boost the development of urban and inter-city railroads.
The agreement was part of TM’s plans for developing urban and intercity railroad transportation using domestic resources.
Officials believe that utilizing the local potentials can help curb the country's dependence on foreign producers and reduce the impact of harsh sanctions imposed on Iranian domestic industries by the US.
