Iran


Iran invests in cross- border connections


Iran is currently engaged in a major programme of railway construction which will significantly improve links with its neighbours. Mr Taleb Zare, acting president and board member of Iranian Islamic Republic Railways (RAI) talks to Keith Barrow about how this investment is transforming the network.


L


IKE its neighbours in the Gulf States, rail features prominently in Iran’s transport plans, and a


host of major projects is already underway with 3000km of new lines under construction and a further 13,000km under study. There is also a programme of investment in the existing network, which includes 3000km of track-doubling, 2900km of electrification, and resignalling of 2800 route-km, together with renewal and expansion of the locomotive and rolling stock fleets.


Iranian Islamic Republic Railways (RAI) expects rail’s share of the land freight market to increase from 11% to 30% by 2025 and to meet this target, volumes will need to increase from 33 million tonnes to 140 million tonnes over the next 12 years. RAI is also seeking to almost double passenger traffic from 28 million passengers a year to 52 million within the same timescale. In order to support the expansion of the network and accommodate the forecast increase in traffic, RAI says it will require more than 1100 new locomotives, 1300 coaches, and at least 45,000 new wagons. In an interview with IRJ at the International Union of Railways (UIC) Regional Assembly for the Middle East Conference in Amman last November, Mr Taleb Zare, acting president and board member of RAI told IRJ: “Most of the wagons and coaches we require will be produced domestically, but we expect to import a lot of the locomotives from Europe and China.” However, domestic suppliers are also building capacity to meet demand. Last year Iranian manufacturer Mapna opened a new locomotive production facility, which is building ER24PC IranRunner locomotives under a technology transfer agreement signed in 2008 with Siemens (a supplier which has since exited the Iranian market). The factory can produce up to 150


IRJ February 2013


locomotives per year. Zare says the $US 4bn project to upgrade and electrify the 926km Tehran - Mashhad line, which began last February, is progressing well. The project will raise the maximum line speed from 160km/h to 200km/h and is expected to halve the current journey time to around six hours. RAI has appointed a domestic contractor to carry out the upgrade through a 40-year build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract. Iranian manufacturer Wagon Pars was awarded a contract to build 300 new coaches for the line last year, and Zare says negotiations are underway with potential suppliers for the contract to supply electric locomotives. The first phase of the project, which includes the delivery of at least half the new train fleet, is due to be completed in 2015. The electrification and modernisation


Iran Bazargan


AZERBAIJAN Razi Jolfa Tabriz Orumiyeh Sanandaj Hamedan Qasr-e-Shirin Kermanshah Ilam Baghdad Mehran Shahr-e-Kord IRAQ N 0 Km 200 KUWAIT SAUDI ARABIA Lines open


Under construction Planned lines Proposed lines


Ahvak Basra Esfahan Meybod


Bandar-e-Emam Khomeyni Khorramshahr


Kuwait Ras AlKhair Dammam


Ahmad Abad Shiraz


Bandar-e-Bushehr Kangan


Yazd


Malayer Azna


Arak Qom Badrud Ardabil Maragheh


Astara Astara


Miyaneh Zanjan


Caspian Sea Bojnurd Anzali Amir Abad Rasht


Qazvin Karaj


Shahrud Tehran Garmsar Tabas


Chadormalu Mine Parvadeh


Mine Bafq Kerman Zahedan Bardsir Bam Gol Gohar Mine Lar Asaluyeh Chabahar 23 Bandar Abbas Iranshahr Mirjaveh PAKISTAN Birjind Sangan Mine


AFGHANISTAN Harat


Gorgan Mashhad Neyshabur


Sarakhs Yurgundi


of the 620km line between Bafq and Bandar Abbas, Iran’s largest port, is also due to be tendered as a BOT project. Much of the new line construction


currently taking place is focused on new links with neighbouring states, which are being built with the aim of fostering transit traffic through Iran on both the north-south and east-west axes. Construction of the 205km Qazvin -


Rasht - Anzali line, and the 167km line from Rasht to the Azerbaijani frontier at Astara is now more than 70% complete, and Zare says the Qazvin - Rasht section will open this year. However, construction has yet to start on the short cross-border section between Astara and the town of the same name in Azerbaijan. To the east of the Caspian Sea, the 82km line from Gorgan to the Turkmen border is nearing completion, and this


TURKMENISTAN Ashkhabad Mary IRJ


TURKEY


Persian Gulf


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