In line with the country’s policy of promoting eco-friendly public transportation, metropolises such as Tabriz and Isfahan are expanding subway connectivity.
Late last week, urban officials in Tabriz, the provincial center of East Azarbaijan, announced that the government has allocated 100 trillion rials ($393.7 million) to subway development in the city, the Persian economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad reported.
Mohammad Reza Pourmohammadi, the governor general of East Azarbaijan, said the budget is planned to be spent on Line 2 expansion.
“The construction of Line 2 will be conducted in a phased manner and the approved funds will only be spent on the first phase, which includes the first 10 kilometers starting from Qaramalik. Besides propelling the construction, the budget can benefit companies directly and indirectly involved in the project.”
Pourmohammadi noted that Tabriz subway is one of the prominent urban transportation project prioritized by urban managers.
“The dynamism of Tabriz depends, to a large extent, on the operation of a clean mode of transportation like metro. We hope that the government support will boost public mobility in the metropolis,” he added.
Tabriz officials reached an agreement with the Plan and Budget Organization in September 2019 to receive 2 trillion rials ($7.8 million) for starting the construction of Line 2 in 2020.
This was in addition to the allocation of 1 trillion rials ($3.9 million) for the project agreed by the government. However, due to management issues, the project has so far made little progress.
Tabriz Subway
Tabriz subway is designed in five lines, including four urban and one intercity line, which will stretch across 100 kilometers with 70 stations when fully operational.
With the current operation of only one line (Line 1), people can take the tube from the southeast to the west of the city.
Line 1 starts from El Goli Square in southeast Tabriz, travels 17.2 kilometers to the west with 18 stations and reaches Laleh Street, a historical neighborhood in the city’s southwest.
The line’s construction was designed in three phases. The first phase became operational with four stations in September 2015, connecting El Goli Square in the southeast to Shahriar Station in the east. A total of 2.5 trillion rials ($18.5 million) were invested in the project's Phase 1.
A second phase was launched in February 2016 to extend the line to Sa'at Square Station in the city center.
Starting from the west in Qaramalik, Line 2 will reach the exhibition center in eastern Tabriz after crossing 22.4 kilometers and 20 stations.
Line 3, which will span 15 kilometers from Tabriz International Airport in the northwest to Tabriz Central Bus Terminal in the south, will have 14 stations.
And finally, the last metro line, Line 4 is to be a 15.4-kilometer tramway linking Azarbaijan Square in the northwest to Pasdaran Highway in the northeast with 18 stations.
The intercity tramway Line 5 will connect the southwestern tail of Line 1 to Sahand City in Oskou County. The line will be about 30 kilometers long, reaching its destination without any station along the way.
Isfahan Subway
On Friday, Iranian President’s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi broke the ground for the construction of Isfahan subway’s Line 2, in the presence of several provincial officials.
With 4 trillion rials ($15.7 million) of investment, the initial phase of the project will cover 6.5 kilometers of the line’s western flank, from Modarres Najafi to Kohandej Station.
The construction of tunnels on Line 2 is expected to be completed in two years.
The line consists of 22 stations and stretches 24.4 kilometers from Khomeini-Shahr in the west to Zeinabiyeh Street in the northeast.
The metropolis’ subway map includes a total of three lines (1, 2 and 3), of which only Line 1 is currently operational.
Concerns over inadequate public transportation have compelled urban managers in Isfahan to seek the government’s financial help to upgrade the city’s subway network.
Amir Ahmad Zandavar, the head of the Transportation, Environment and Information Commission at Isfahan City Council, earlier said that Line 1 still lacks basic equipment while it has been operating for years.
“The highest priority should be placed on completing Line 1,” he said, warning that if the necessary equipment is not supplied for an operating metro line, it can jeopardize the lives of passengers. A total of 7 trillion rials [$27.5 million] are needed to complete and equip the line,” he said.
“The repair and addition of escalators, elevators and proper ventilation system, as well as some restorations, are required in several stations.”
The multiphase construction process of Line 1 took 15 years and became operational in 2017. The 20-kilometer Line 1 links the north to the south of the city with 20 stations.
According to Isfahan Metro Company, the operating line transports 70,000 passengers per day and the figure is expected to increase with the launch of inactive lines.
