Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 20
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Company Managing Director Mohsen Pourseyyed Aghaee has said that by the end of the next Iranian year (starting March 21) Iran's entire rail network will be equipped with a smart (electronic) control system.
Aghaee made the remarks on the sidelines of inaugurating the smart control system for the Tehran-Mashhad line, the first one in the country, IRNA reported March 19.
He said that the line's equipment cost €32 million, maintaining that from now on, the line's cargo and passenger transfer capacity will increase two to three times.
He also announced that the Tehran-Mashhad line is going to be electrified, noting that the trains will thus will be able to move 200 kmph or even faster.
The Tehran-Mashhad trip will take six hours when that is done, he said, adding that the line will be able to transfer 35 million people a year.
The Tabriz-Jolfa railway was meant to be the first in Iran to be electrified. After initial negotiations in 1969, railway electrification in the country began in 1975, with a contract with USSR to electrify the Tabriz to Jolfa route in East Azarbaijan Province near the border with the former Soviet Union. The work would include a Bogie exchange facility.
Iranian Roads Maintenance Organization official Mohammad Javad Atrchian said on March 8 that over 11.2 million metric tons of goods were transited via Iran in the first eleven months of the current Iranian calendar year.
Transit of goods via the country rose 6.2 percent during the 11-month compared to the same period last year, he added.
The transited consignments mostly consisted of fuel, construction materials, home appliances, cotton and vehicles.
Edited by CN
