Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
An agreement on the production of 10 locomotives has been signed between Iran’s Wagon Pars Company (based in the city of Arak in Iran’s Markazi Province) and another company (the name of which remained undisclosed), said Mohammed Reza Mokhtari, Managing Director of Iran's Wagon Pars Company, Trend reports referring to IRNA.
According to him, the Wagon Pars Company was the first locomotive manufacturer in Iran. However, the company discontinued its locomotive production for well over 20 years.
Mokhtari said that although the company signed a contract with a local company for the production of 50 locomotives last year, this agreement was not executed due to sanctions and economic problems.
Mokhtari added that a new contract for the production of locomotives was signed this year and, for the first time in 20 years, the company will manufacture locomotives of the Pars 33 model. "Locomotives worth 1.2 million euros will be added to Iran's railway as soon as possible," he noted.
Mokhtari went on to say that 750 freight cars and passenger cars have been produced in the company since 2017.
In his words, 170 freight cars and passenger cars were produced during the four months (March 21 - July 22) of the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2019), and 150 freight cars and passenger cars were delivered to companies who placed orders for the purchase of said vehicles during the same period.
The managing director noted that if funds are allocated by these companies to Wagon Pars for the production of 350 freight cars and passenger cars, the process of the purchase of materials necessary for the manufacture of locomotives will speed up and this will help initiate the manufacture process. The company’s production for this will thereby potentially exceed 500 freight cars and passenger cars, according to him.
Mokhtari stated that the Wagon Pars Company currently has the production capacity of up to 1,000 freight cars, 150 passenger cars and 40 locomotives annually.