BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 17. A total of 30 trillion rials (about $76.8 million) has been spent on the Ahvaz-Andimeshk railway section, which will be put into operation in the coming days in Khuzestan province, located in southwestern Iran, the Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash told reporters on July 17 following a Cabinet meeting in Tehran, Trend reports.
According to him, the total length of the Ahvaz-Andimeshk railway line is 110 kilometers. Its 70 kilometers were built on behalf of the current Iranian government (the current Iranian government has been in power since August 2021).
Bazrpash added that, besides, the Ardabil-Mianeh railroad in northwestern Iran will be put into operation by September 21, 2024, and the Chabahar-Zahedan railroad by March 20, 2025.
Construction of the 720-kilometer Chabahar-Zahedan railway began in 2010. In 2014, the construction of this railway was accelerated by changing the contractor. So far, 17 trillion rials (about $404 million) have been spent on the construction of this railway, and it is estimated that 40 trillion rials (about $952 million) will be required to complete the project.
In addition, about 300 million euros have been allocated by the National Development Fund of Iran for the construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway.
The construction of Iran's Ardabil-Mianeh railway line began in 2005. This 175-kilometer-long railway is being built in 11 parts. Some 35 percent of the railway line passes through mountainous areas. After the launch of the railway line, it is projected that 2.5 million tons of cargo and 600,000 passengers will be transported annually in the first year.
Meanwhile, in 20 years, the railway will be able to transport 4 million tons of cargo and 1.5 million passengers a year. Iran considers the launch of the railway line important from an economic and transit point of view. Iran considers the commissioning of this railway line important from the point of view of economy and transit.
To note, the length of Iran's railway lines is 14,984 kilometers. A total of 993 locomotives, 29,950 freight cars, and 2,178 passenger wagons are operating on Iran's railroad lines.
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