Tehran Municipality will receive 8.3 trillion rials ($27.6 million) in the next fiscal year (starting March 2022) for streamlining the metropolis's public transportation, which is insufficient for implementing even the smallest expansion, according to Tehran City Council.
During the TCC's meeting on Sunday, Jafar Tashakkori, chairman of the council's Transportation Commission, stated that only 572 billion rials ($1.9 million) will be set aside for the completion of the metropolis' unfinished subway lines, IRNA reported.
The official said the cost of constructing each kilometer of subway in the city, which includes the establishment of stations and tunnels as well as all the installation of electronic equipment, is 12 trillion rials ($40 million).
"The proposed budget bill only covers the construction of 46 meters of subway, whereas in previous years, at least 18 kilometers were funded," he added.
Stretching over 253 kilometers across the capital, Tehran Metro currently comprises seven lines, with lines 6 and 7 still under construction and four newly-designed lines awaiting funds.
Tashakkori noted that Tehran Metro extension to the satellite city of Parand will receive 2.27 trillion rials ($7.5 million), which is only sufficient for one station.
In 2016, a junction was established from Shahed Station on Line 1 of Tehran Metro, linking Shahr-e Aftab International Exhibition Center with Imam Khomeini International Airport, to provide subway access to the southwestern areas of the province.
As planned, the junction is to be extended to Parand in the southwestern part of Tehran.
Subway Wagon Challenges
The megacities of Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz and Shiraz will collectively receive 445 billion rials ($1.48 million) for subway wagon renovation.
According to Tashakkori, each train car requires 30 billion rials ($100,000) for complete repairs, so the proposed budget can only cover the overhaul of 15 subway wagons across the five cities.
The official underlined that only in the capital city, 900 subway wagons are in dire need of restoration.
“The government is committed to supplying 2,000 train cars for Tehran Metro during the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan (2017-22). The budget allocation for the next year illustrates that the state will not be able to meet its commitment,” he added.
Earlier, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani told reporters that the under-construction Line 7 alone will necessitate at least 3,000 train wagons to operate at full capacity.
“This is while we are far behind schedule in terms of supplying new train cars. The operating trains are rapidly deteriorating due to a lack of proper maintenance and restoration,” he added.
Zakani noted that in the best-case scenario, Tehran’s subway system operates 1,514 train wagons, of which about 450 have outlived their usefulness and another 400 require repairs.
As per the latest measure taken to address the wagon deficiency, Tehran Municipality has signed a contract with Tehran Wagon Manufacturing Company for the production of 106 train cars and work will start as soon as an initial payment is made to the company.
According to Zakani, TWMC is waiting for TCC to deliver a portion of the contract price, which will most likely be funded from the sale of participation bonds.
Ticket Subsidy and Buses
Emphasizing the necessity of allocating large subsidies on metro and bus tickets, Tashakkori added that unfortunately, the state’s share of the ticket prices will also shrink in the next year’s budget bill.
The government’s subsidy on tickets was 10 trillion rials ($33.3 million) this year, but the amount has been reduced to 5 trillion rials ($16.6 million) for the next year.
Emphasizing the general public's low purchasing power and economic pressures, the official stated that residents would be unable to afford higher ticket prices and that the budget should be revised.
According to Tashakkori, 4.63 trillion rials ($15.4 million) will be spent to improve intercity bus, taxi and railroad systems.
The budget will only allow for the purchase of 15 train wagons or 100 buses for the country, while 1,000 buses must be added to the public transportation fleet in Tehran each year to provide adequate mobility services, the official said.
The Ministry of Roads, intercity medical emergency units and traffic police have been given 5 trillion rials ($16.6 million) to reduce intercity road traffic mortality.
Announcing that over 40% of road fatalities occur in urban areas, Tashakkori said it is tactless that municipalities have been excluded from this line of credit.
He added that the allocated budget is disappointing and woefully inadequate for the worrying state of transport system.
“Infrastructural development siphons over 75% of monetary resources and practically nothing will be left for overhauling or adding to the operating vehicles in the transportation system,” he said.
The official stressed that the capital’s subway and bus fleet conditions will become critical next year since “with insufficient resources, the municipality will not be able to even undertake repairs and maintenance. Therefore, the currently operating vehicles will turn into a wreck and stop working after a short while”.
Tashakkori noted that supporting the public transportation system affects the living conditions of citizens, a large segment of which are grappling with financial problems.
