BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 30. A sum of 30 trillion rials (about $51.9 million) is required to complete the Ardabil-Miyaneh railroad line connecting Ardabil Province in northwestern Iran to the country's railroad network, Deputy Director of the Iranian Railways and Urban Development Company Abbas Khatibi said, Trend reports.
He made the announcement today while Iranian Minister of Railways and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh reviewed the mentioned railway line.
According to him, 10 trillion rials (about $17.3 million) of the mentioned funds are owed to the contracting companies.
Khatibi noted that if the funds are available, the railroad line could be put into operation in August.
Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Nikzad stated during the minister's review of the road that Farzaneh Sadegh became the seventh minister who viewed the Ardabil-Miyaneh railroad.
''Given this line's significance, it is necessary to speed up the process of completion of this railway line. With the commissioning of the Ardabil-Miyaneh railway line, certain works within the framework of the North-South international transportation corridor in Iran will be completed,'' he added.
The construction of the railroad line between the Iranian cities of Ardabil and Miyaneh began in 2005. This 175-kilometer-long railroad is being built in 11 sections. As much as 35 percent of the railroad line passes through mountainous terrain. Once this railway line is operational, it is projected that 2.5 million tons of cargo and 600,000 passengers will be transported during the first year. It is also predicted that in 20 years this railroad will be able to transport 4 million tons of cargo and 1.5 million passengers annually.
