BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 4. Iran is set to open the Ardabil-Mianeh railway on a trial basis, connecting the northwestern Ardabil Province with East Azerbaijan Province, the country’s Parliament Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad told reporters during a briefing in Ardabil, Trend reports.
According to Nikzad, on the launch date, the CEO of Iran’s Roads and Transport Infrastructure Construction and Development Company, Houshang Bazvand, Ardabil Governor Masoud Emami Yeganeh, and the province’s parliamentary deputies will travel to Mianeh and return to Ardabil by train.
Nikzad noted that the trial operation will help identify potential issues with the railway, which will then be addressed before the official opening scheduled for March 5.
Construction of the 175-kilometer railway line between Ardabil and Mianeh began in 2005 and is being carried out in 11 sections, with over a third passing through mountainous terrain. Once operational, the line is expected to transport 2.5 million tons of cargo and 600,000 passengers in its first year, with annual capacity projected to grow to 4 million tons of cargo and 1.5 million passengers over the next two decades.
Iran considers the railway’s opening to be strategically important for both economic development and transit purposes.