TEHRAN (Iran News) – A total of 70 new domestically-made or renovated locomotives and train cars were added to the Iranian rail fleet on Monday.
As the fifth phase of a plan for the renovation of the country’s rail fleet in the current Iranian calendar year (which started on March 20), 59 freight cars, two renovated passenger cars and nine locomotives joined the fleet in a ceremony on the same day, IRNA reported.
In the first phase, in late April, the fleet received 56 new domestically-made locomotives and train cars.
According to the Roads and Urban Development Ministry, about $29.7 million were invested by six domestic companies in the production of the train cars and locomotives.
During the second phase, 88 train cars and locomotives were added to the fleet. The figure stood at 65 and 50 in the third and fourth phases respectively.
Since the beginning of the current year, a total of 778 train cars and locomotives worth over $302 million were added to Iran’s rail fleet.
In an address to the ceremony, Roads and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami said all of the locomotives and train cars were made by domestic companies.
In April, Eslami said the Iranian government is making efforts to boost infrastructure spending and plans to launch 1,200 kilometers of new railway lines.
The minister added the construction of the new rail tracks will be completed before the end of the current administration’s tenure in August 2021.
He expressed hope that the country would have a highly developed and functional railway in the next calendar year.
Iran has significantly increased spending on rail infrastructure development over the past years as it seeks to use the network for increased freight transportation inside the country and to the neighboring states.
The country aims to increase the total length of its railway network to 16,000 kilometers by the summer of 2021. Achieving this would help Iran rank among top 20 countries in the world in terms of railway network length.
- source : Iran Daily
